


London is well worth a mass

by dolphinaaaa



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Harry, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Arranged Marriage, M/M, Omega Louis, Princes & Princesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-01
Updated: 2014-05-10
Packaged: 2018-01-14 03:21:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 18
Words: 93,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1250854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolphinaaaa/pseuds/dolphinaaaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis is an Omega prince of France. When he is 13, he is betrothed to Harry of England for politics. The wedding will seal the alliance between the two coutries. This is their story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. chapter I

Louis woke up to the sounds of whispering voices. Two of his maids were reviving the fire in the corner of his room and another one was replacing the burnt candles with new ones. He rolled over and murmured a sleepy “good morning”.

“Good morning your Altesse” responded the closest maid. “You can still sleep a little bit it is only 6. Her Altesse your mother the Queen only wants to see you at 10”. Louis snorted in agreement but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep. This formal meeting with his mother meant one thing, she would announce to him an important and official news. He didn’t know anything about the announcement but he was really worried.  


 

During the last couple of days he just spent his time imagining all the possible news that his mother could break to him. Maybe it was good! And Louis was dreaming of diplomatic trips, where he could accompany his elder brother. He could visit his cousin Eleanor of Brittany or maybe his sisters Félicité, married to the prince of Spain or Charlotte married to the Emperor of Prussia. On the contrary maybe that was bad news and he would have to go back to the Convent where he grew up for the 10 first years of his life. Only the thought of his small cell and the incredibly strict Mother-in-chief made him whimper. However after considering all the possibilities, one was sticking with him more than all others. Louis was expecting to be betrothed.

At 13, he was the same age than Charlotte when she got sent to Prussia to marry the then prince Ulrich. Louis’ older alpha brother was the Dauphin of France and would become king at the death of their father. However all the other royal kids were used to create political alliances. With Charlotte and Félicité’s marriages, France was now allied with Spain and Prussia, making it the most powerful country in Europe. With his teacher, Professor Leconte, Louis had begun to learn about the geography and politics of Europe. He knew that France was threatened by the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. Moreover the Empire had recently teamed up with several Italian kingdoms. His parents needed more allies if there was to be a war. With his two older sisters already married and his two younger ones still in their nanny’s skirt, he was the only solution. He also was a male Omega, hence legally equivalent to a girl. Louis dreaded to be right but while he was lying down in his bed, watching the sun rise slowly, he knew that whatever it was, his life was going to change drastically.

 

Louis grew up in the Sister Dominica Convent just outside of Paris. There, only surrounded with other noble girls and male omegas, he was taught on how to be a good wife (or omega). How to be respectful of their husbands, how to behave accordingly to their inferior condition, how to be polite, submissive and obedient in all situations. The Convent was no fun. You had to wake up at 5 every morning for prayer. Everyone then had different chores throughout the day besides their classes. The general atmosphere was austere. The only thing that made it better for Louis was the presence of his cousin Eleanor of Anjou. Despite the place they were in, she was always gracious and bubbly. She had a soft spot for Louis, who reminded her of her own baby brother and they were as thick as thieves. Eleanor left the Convent one year before Louis, to get married to another cousin and become Queen of Brittany. 

When he was eleven, his parents thought it was time he came back to court and begin his political education. He was to be Prince consort of some European king and had to know his duties. He was also taught English, Italian and German (the dominant languages in Europe beside French), mathematics, literature, music and danse. He was to be the perfect husband. The life at court was quite tiring for Louis. 

When he wasn’t studying with Professor Leconte, he was meeting with the royal stylist and doing endless fitting sessions. He also had to make appearances at his mother’s apartments where she was always holding court, discussing the latest gossips and trends with several noble ladies. He got along pretty well with his mother and her friends and it was always fascinating for Louis to hear all the gossips on all these people he had no idea about. Yet, he was also very innocent and didn’t like to judge people. Thus he sometimes felt very uncomfortable and quite sinful hearing the stories of these unfaithful wives, gambling husbands and debauched young war heroes. Most of the time, he just sat there blushing and sewing or sometimes painting, not participating in any conversations. Even if he didn’t talk, his mother still wanted him there. She said the company of court ladies and the knowledge of the “behind the scenes” were essential for Louis’ future life in a foreign court. Louis understood this and was happy his mother cared enough to want to prepare him well for the future. But he had to admit he didn’t like the falseness of the court, the emptiness of the talks and all the frivolous people backstabbing each other for a tiny recognition from his parents. 

He got along well with his older brother Henri, who was the definition of the Alpha macho man but was also quite fond of Louis. Henri sometimes took him out to Paris to see an opera or a ballet. Once he also took him to a mask ball where he allowed Louis to gamble 5 gold coins at a dice game. But every time they were going out, Henri was always being over protective of Louis and didn’t let anyone and certainly not alphas, get close to him. It wasn’t yet that much of a problem since Louis hadn’t had his first heat. He was still very much a child. He was also very shy and docile so obeying his brother’s orders, like he was taught he had to, was just normal to him. 

The thing was that he was also breathtakingly beautiful with his big blue eyes, his soft hair and his tiny figure. So the more he grew up and the more suitors came to him and his brother when they were going out. Louis was baffled at first, completely unaware of his appeal but grew accustomed to it and didn’t pay it any attention. His brother on the contrary, was more and more wary and it had been 4 months that they hadn’t done any outing. Henri still came to his apartments frequently, giving him small presents, relating him his latest exploits with the ladies or taking him to a walk in the royal gardens.  
At court, the only member of his family that he didn’t see much was his dad. During the day, the king was always busy with his ministers, deciding the policies and ruling the country. In the evenings he was very busy with his mistress and often didn’t attend the royal dinner, preferring to be served in his chambers. Louis didn’t care; he was even quite relieved since his father terrified him.

 

At 8, the maids came back to Louis’ room, revived the fire once again and began to prepare everything for the boy’s bath. Once he was clean, the maids dressed him in a gold and blue outfit, the colors of his family. He insisted to wear his Phrygian cap and got allowed to. He was then sent to breakfast where he met his brother, clean and smelling fresh. That was astonishing to say the least. Usually Henri didn’t wake up before 1pm, still smelling of alcohol and the heavy perfume of his favorite courtesans. 

“What are you doing here?” Louis asked confused.

“I am here for the meeting too” Henri just shrugged 

“Do you know what it is about?”

Henri didn’t reply. But he knew. Louis was sure of it.  
“I am getting betrothed isn’t it?” he whispered defeated.

Henri looked sad for a few seconds and just told him that it was better to wait for their parents to explain. Louis was freaking out now, because he was going to meet his mother but also his father this morning. He couldn’t eat anything after that. Henri saw that he was very pale and shaking and addressed him an encouraging smile. At quarter to ten they were introduced in their mother’s chamber and asked to wait. Henri had his hand on Louis’ shoulder squeezing him lightly. This calmed the omega down a bit.

“Do you know who it is at least?” Louis asked in a little broken voice

“shhhhh you will see Louis. It is not that bad” Henri muffled.

The maid then came to let them in. The King and Queen were both sat on a sofa. He was drinking some liquor and she had one dog on her lap, another one at her feet. Two gentlemen were standing next to them and the king’s secretary was sat at a small desk, writing something. Louis and Henri sat on another sofa, facing their parents.

“Louis do you know why you are here?” his father asked suddenly, looking at him right in the eyes.  
He blushed instantly, turning his eyes to the ground. He was shaking slightly too, stressed out by his father’s look and tone and uneasy, feeling all the stares on him. He managed to answer with a small “not really your majesty” that made his dad crack a big laugh.

“Ohhhhh he is delightful isn’t he?” the King exclaimed, slapping his own leg. The dog on his mum’s lap jumped at that and began to bark furiously. The Queen calmed him down and one of the men standing just responded “indeed your Altesse, he honors and surpasses his reputation”. Louis looked at him a bit surprised. He wasn’t aware he had a reputation. The cinnamon skined man just smiled at him graciously.

“Louis” his mother intervened “you are a big boy now my son and you are to be married”. She let that sink in for a few seconds. Louis got tense at that but wasn’t surprised, he was expecting it. He managed to put a shy smile on his face so she continued. “Here is the ambassador of England my son.” She pointed at the dark skinned man. He was very handsome. He bent his head respectfully.

“He came here to bring us the proposal of prince Harry of England. His family is willing to ally with ours and he wants you at his side. It is a very generous offer from them and we accepted it. I am also sure you will love Prince Harry. He is very easy on the eye and also a very brave soldier and proud man. He will be a fantastic husband to you” she said softly.

Louis nodded his head a few times. He didn’t know what to say. He had heard of Prince Harry in his mother’s apartment. There were lots of gossips about his debauchery and his nights of partying, but also a lot of stories about his war exploits against Denmark and his political success in Ireland where he was sent by his father as an ambassador. Harry was considered ruthless, clever and courageous. All the ladies at court were speaking about him dreamily. Louis had always been fascinated by these stories and the Prince was one of his favourite characters. He was excited a bit but also terrified. Most of all, he wanted to be a good omega and a good son and make his parents proud. His father talked again.

“You will leave in two weeks with Mr Malik”- he said pointing at the English ambassador- “and Mr Payne, he is our ambassador in England.” He then pointed at the second man, who bowed quickly. 

“They both will help you to get accustomed at your new court and will report to me about your progress. The wedding is to be held in a month and a half so you will have some time to meet and get to know Prince Harry. Your brother will attend the wedding, representing us. He will also accompany your dowry that will be delivered the day after the wedding, as tradition says.” 

Louis flashed a glance at the secretary, who was writing frantically. Louis understood he was writing the account of the meeting. His father continued: “as Prince Harry’s husband you will pay allegiance to his country and his people but always will honor our family and your own country. You have to be an ambassador for us over there and watch for our best interest as well as the one of your new country.”  
The king turned his glare to Mr Malik. “The dowry will be 500 000 Louis d’or (gold coins), 500 000 worth of jewels and precious presents, two sets of complete porcelain and crystal tableware and all of Louis’ clothes and belongings.” The ambassador just nodded in agreement. “In exchange, England is engaged to be our ally and support France against its enemies”. The ambassador nodded again. 

The king cleared his throat a little bit uneasy. “As you know Louis is 13 and isn’t of age yet. He hasn’t had his first heat. We want a clause in the marriage contract so that Prince Harry waits until Louis’ first heat to consummate the wedding”. 

Louis blushed madly and wriggled on the couch. Mr. Malik seemed truly embarrassed but denied the King. “I am really sorry your majesty, we would like to accommodate your demand but we can’t take any risk about this marriage. You know after the scandal of Prince Renalto, we just can’t agree to that. The wedding will be consummated as soon as possible. It will make both our families safe and secure our alliance.” 

Even Louis had heard of the Renalto scandal. The Portuguese prince got married with a young omega from Andorra. He agreed to the non-consummation clause until the first heat of his husband, who was 12 at the time. However, it turned around and slapped him in the face when 1 year after the wedding, the omega’s family got it annulled. Since Renalto never had knotted and bonded his omega, the marriage wasn’t legally consummated and the omega was taken back and married to another king to form a better alliance for his country. Since then, all the non-consummation clauses had stopped, the royal families all over Europe, too scared to see their wedding annulled. 

Louis would have to get knotted by Harry then. There was no escape. “The act also will have to be witnessed your majesty. I know it isn’t pleasant for any of us, but that is the best solution for all. So we can be sure and confident in our alliance” Mr. Malik continued. Louis had his eyes locked on the floor now and felt tears ready to fall. He tried his best to swallow them back. The king accepted the English man conditions. “Well we have no choice I see. Who will be witness for England? Henri and Mr. Payne will do it for us” he growled. 

Henri tensed up on the couch next to Louis. The little omega was mortified and so ashamed. His brother was going to witness his first time with his husband. Louis was now wishing frantically to be able to hold his tears until he was out of the chamber. “Myself and Harry’s father, his majesty the king of England will be the witnesses for England. The abbot of Westminster, who will marry them, will also witness” Malik responded. 

“Very well” concluded the king, getting up. He headed to the desk, bent over the secretary and took the paper in his hand. “Gentlemen if you would like to review and sign the contracts so we can send our response to Prince Harry”.

Payne and Malik rushed to the desk. When he was done, the English ambassador turned to Louis and handed him a big envelop. “This is from Prince Harry” he said kindly “he is very excited to meet you”.  
Louis whispered a thank you, put the envelop on his lap and focused once again on the floor. Henri sensed his distress and squeezed his arm gently. The Queen got up and came in front of Louis.

“Louis you may be excused my dear if you don’t have any question” she said gently. “I will meet you this afternoon”. The omega got up, bowed quickly at his parents and left without watching back. He run to his apartments and finally burst into tears. It was more tears of fear and embarrassment than sadness. After all, he was raised all his life knowing that his destiny was to be married off for politics. But he couldn't help but be emotional. 

Once he calmed down a bit, he opened the present from his fiancé. He first found a small portrait representing the prince. He was gorgeous with big green eyes, curly hair falling down a bit on his forehead and a small cheeky smile. Louis studied the painting, getting a bit breathless. With the painting was a letter. He cracked the wax that closed it. The writing was round and the text was in French. It made Louis smile. Harry was gallantly assuring him of his excitement to meet him. He had signed “Your Harry” down the letter. Louis shivered a bit. This war hero, this Machiavellian prince and beautiful man was his Harry! The last item the envelop contained was a small velvety box for his engagement ring. A blue sapphire surrounded by two small white diamonds was mounted on a small gold ring. Engraved on the inside you could read Louis and Harry. It was breathtaking. Louis slipped it on his finger where is fitted perfectly. 

The little omega spent the rest of the morning daydreaming on his bed and sometimes admiring the painting. What was Harry like for real? Beyond his legendary stories and all the gossips? He was served a small lunch in his room but still couldn’t eat much. His brother came unannounced and just sat on his bed.

“Are you ok little brother” he asked sweetly

“Hm yeah I guess. I am scared” he answered frankly. “Do you know him? Harry?”

His big brother nodded. “Yeah I met him a couple of times. And I spent quite some time with him when I visited the English court about 2 years ago. Just before you came here.”

Louis was excited and anxious. He could feel him palms sweating a bit. “Soooooo??” he asked opening his eyes very wide.

“He is ….. nice. Very nice. Quite funny but also very dedicated to his title and his duties. He is a fantastic warrior as you must already know.”

“Is it true he is… visiting…. prostitutes?” Louis mumbled the end feeling himself blushing madly.

Henri sighted. “yeah Louis it is true. He does party hard. But look at me. I am doing the same and I am not too bad am I? You still put up with me right?” Louis smiled a bit. “He is an alpha, he is young and beautiful, and he is unmated. If he didn't sleep around, that would actually be very odd.”

“Do you?... Do you think he will like me?” whispered Louis. He crossed his arms on his small chest. He looked so vulnerable

Henri rolled his eyes and smiled frankly at his tiny brother curled on himself. “Of course he will. Anybody would be over the moon to have you! Haven’t you seen all the suitors salivating when we were going out?”

“so he will stop seeing prostitutes when we are married?” asked Louis hopefully.

“if he doesn't he is a fool” his brother growled. He then turned abruptly to Louis. “Brother do you know anything about alphas? And… knotting?” He looked at him straight in the eyes. The little omega felt his cheeks heating.

“I… don’t know” Louis stuttered. And truly he wasn't sure what the question was. “What is there to know?”

“You heard what they said. You will have to have sex with Harry. And there will be witnesses, to prove that you indeed were knotted.” Louis nodded, face tomato red. “Do you know how knotting works at all?”

“It is to make omegas pregnant” Louis said unsure. He knew that, he heard the stories back in the convent, but facing his brother he just felt timorous, pathetic and very very dumb.

The alpha once again felt his brother’s panic and put his arm over Louis’ shoulders, hugging him a bit. “Don’t worry Lou, you are ok. It is not your fault. I don’t understand why they don’t prepare girls and omegas about these kind of stuff. Well… basically. Harry’s penis will get hard and he will penetrate you. In your hole.” Louis was very circumspect by this point.

“He will do that? And… he will like that? The little omega whispered. Henri laughed out loud at that.

“Yeah! He will love that” he said grinning. “He will trust into you and at one moment he will reach an orgasm. That is when he is gonna shoot sperm into you and that’s what can make you pregnant. But you don’t have your heats yet, so you can’t be with child now. That will be for later.” He caressed his cheek slowly. “When he finishes, his penis will also swell a lot and will get stuck into you for a bit. That’s what we call knotting. At that point, he will probably bite you here” he pointed at Louis neck and gently stroked his smooth skin. “That will make you bond.”

“Do I… do I have to do something?” Louis was really stressed now. He wanted to please Harry and his parents so much.

“No, not really. Harry will probably guide you on what to do. But you will just have to try to relax really hard. Yeah? Because the first time is probably going to be quite painful. Especially since you don’t have your heats” he added quickly. This certainly didn't reassure the small prince.

“Have you ever gotten hard Lou?” his brother asked again. This time, Louis was so embarrassed that he couldn't answer and just nodded watching the floor and fiddling with his fingers. “That’s great brother! That’s normal. When you have sex, you will want to try to get hard. It would make it so good for you. Try to touch yourself yeah? Try to find what feels good for you and when you are there with Harry, try to think about those things.”


	2. Chapter II

After his brother left to go hunt with some of his friends, Louis was more confused than ever. He was brought up thinking that anything related to sex was dirty and sinful. And now he had to touch himself, discover his body and be ready to perform something he knew nothing about. He felt stupid once again. He was scared not to be up for the task. 

In the afternoon, his mother sent one princess of her entourage to come and get Louis. They spent the rest of the day in the Queen’s chambers, organizing the schedule for Louis’ two remaining weeks in France.  
He had to go to Notre Dame in Paris to get blessed before his trip. Of course he also had to extend his trousseau, this meant lots of fitting sessions with the royal stylist.

During his classes with professor Leconte, he would now intensively study English language and history. He would also attend special dancing classes, to be sure to make the best impression on the English court. Louis didn't mind that much. He loved dancing and was even good at it. His dance teacher was always in awe of his graceful movements.  
His mother also scheduled with him an afternoon tea everyday where they would review all the important people at the English court, so he could recognize them and address them in consequence. She also wanted to make sure he would be able to make a good prince consort and teach him all his duties as such. Louis showed his mother and her friends the engagement ring and the painting. They all giggle at the handsome English prince and squeal at the jewel. 

“You are so lucky Louis” a Russian princess said. “Everybody is jealous of you. Harry of England is probably the best match out there. And your ring is lovely. A lot better than what my useless husband got me” she added laughing lightly. Louis felt sorry for her. She was married to a Polish count, probably three times her age and quite renowned for his disinterest in his wife. 

“Yeah” added a young duchess “and he is so young and handsome. I am sure he will spoil you as well. You heard how he pampers his sister the Princess Gemma? He will surely do the same to our lovely Lou”.

“How old is he” Louis asked. He knew the wife or the omega was traditionally a lot younger than their husband. But still the prince looked so young on the painting.

“He is 21 years of age darling” the Queen answered.

The two weeks passed really quickly. He was studying hard, dancing a lot, trying a humongous number of outfits and having tea with his mother and her friends. His brother also made a noteworthy effort to come and see him every day after supper. He would come in his baby brother’s chambers and they would just chat or play cards and dominos. Louis could sense that Henri was a bit worried about him and also quite sad to see him go. It touched him a lot. 

On night, Henri even brought a small bottle of peach liquor and Louis got drunk for the first time of his life. The dauphin even pushed his efforts to taking Louis on a last trip to Paris. They went to a small theatre and saw a Shakespeare play. Louis quite liked it and they both felt it was relevant to the situation. Like a wink to his upcoming wedding. After the play, they just rode their horse a bit in the royal garden. Louis wasn't a good rider since it was frowned upon for omegas and ladies to ride too much. It was believed to create risks for childbirth. However, thanks to Henri who insisted on it, Louis still rode a bit with his brother in the last two years and was able to control his horse reasonably. 

On the eve of his departure, the king and queen threw him a farewell party. The entire French court attended but Louis didn’t care about any of them really. He had written to his sisters and cousins to break his engagement to them but knew he would receive responses only in London now. None of them could attend, all living too far.  
The only people Louis was glad to see were his brother, his professor and his mother’s friends, especially the Russian princess, who was his favourite. His dances got booked though. So he danced a lot, with what felt like every single alpha in the ball. 

He danced with his brother, sighting in relief and being able to relax a bit. He also danced with his father, and was retrospectively happy to survive this most awkward moment. All the guests got quite drunk (Louis couldn't of course since he was an unmated omega) and the party finished early in the morning. Louis who was used to be fast asleep at 10 maximum, was absolutely exhausted. His brother had to carry him to his room when he fell asleep on the dinner table.

 

At ten in the morning, Louis was ready to go. All his belongings had been packed, he had bid farewell to everyone and was now sat in the golden coach that would bring him to the Channel. Liam Payne, the French ambassador in England was sitting next to him with two maids facing them. They were followed by 3 coaches of all his belongings and escorted by 50 royal guards. They would arrive on the coast the next day, meet ambassador Malik there and embark to cross the Channel. If everything went according to plan, Louis would meet his fiancé in two days.

Liam Payne was very impressed with the young prince. He had never seen someone as gracious and beautiful. The little omega was just absolutely adorable. Liam was good friend with Prince Harry and knew he could only be delighted with his mate. He had already written to him to give him all the details of his encounter with Louis and his parents. But now that he was sharing the coach with the prince for a few hours, he was really smitten. 

The little French relaxed more and more with the trip going on and Liam could see that Louis was not only breathtaking, cute and shy but also very bright, kind and quite funny. He was still quite scared, sometimes tightening his grip on the portrait of his fiancé that sat on his lap. Liam couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy, who was still so young. When he fell asleep, uncomfortably curled on the seat, he looked even younger and more innocent. 

After an exhausting trip, they finally arrived to the coast. Ambassador Malik was there with 50 English royal guards. Louis was frightened to get on the boat. It was his first time. He bid farewell to his guards and maids, who would be replaced by English ones from now on. The boat trip was quite quick and the prince actually enjoyed it greatly. It was a beautiful April day. The sun was shining, the smell of the sea was invigorating and Louis let himself daydream about his Harry and his new country.

At his arriving in Dover, the greeting of the crowd was overwhelming. Lots of citizens gathered in the street or watched through their windows to see the new prince. He was said to be Europe’s most beautiful omega and everybody was desperate to catch a glimpse of the young boy. Girls were carrying flowers and giving them to the crowd so they could throw it on the passage of the prince. Louis was hurried in a red and gold coach, colours of the English monarchy. He waved to the crowd without stopping until they had left the city. He certainly didn't expect such a welcome. After still another day of travel, they finally arrived in London.


	3. Chapter III

Louis was exhausted and exited the coach on shaky legs. Liam put his arm under his armpits to support him and help him walk. The entire court was gathered on either side of the great stairs leading to the castle entry.

It was dead silent and everyone was just glaring at Louis, gauging him. On the top of the stairs, the royal family was waiting, all smiles out. From the pictures his mother had showed him he could recognize the King and Queen in ceremonial dresses. Their three children were standing beside them with Princess Gemma and Prince Niall both silently encouraging Louis. 

And finally there was Prince Harry, standing there like a god, wrapped in a lather and velvet black and red outfit, sword on his side; drinking every move of his little fiancé. Louis felt his knees shake even more under his gaze and blushed a bit more. He adjusted his frock and French cap the best he could and begun to climb the stairs. He plastered the best smile he could on his face when he arrived in front of the Royals and bowed gracefully. Harry bowed respectfully as well and offered one hand to Louis, with his other on his back like the finest gentleman. He then dragged him inside the castle, his family following them. They still hadn't said a word.

Harry bent a little bit and whispered:  
“I am very glad to finally meet you Louis” in a perfect French with a hint of an English accent.

Louis blushed and looked on the floor before whispering back in English “Me too your majesty”. He shot him a quick glance and could see Prince Harry smiling widely, showing off quite adorable dimples. Harry seemed very nice and gentle. Louis couldn't believe he was the fierce and feared warrior in all these stories about the Denmark battles. Harry continued: 

“I knew you where lovely but even the most praising accounts didn't prepare me for your beauty my dear. And paintings certainly don’t honour you”. His tone was sweet and sincere. Louis was baffled. How could this absolutely stunning prince compliment him like that? “I will find a worthy painter and he will draw you for me… and for our whole nation. You are now the most precious of our crown jewels my sweet prince”.

“Your majesty” Louis stuttered completely overwhelmed “don’t… you are the one to praise. You are the envy of Europe and handsome like Adonis himself”. He mumbled the end and wasn't sure Harry heard it.

“Yeah I am the envy of Europe even more now that I have you” Harry said louder, looking fierce and proud. Louis shut up after that. 

They arrived in warm, cosy apartments. The fire was burning bright in the hearth in the corner, a huge canopy bed was seating in the middle of the chamber, covered in gold and light green silk sheets. Two maids where standing there and bowed at the princes.

“This is Louise and Danielle. They will be your personal maids here,” Harry explained. “This is your private chamber. You also have a private antechamber, a living room and a bathroom. These apartments will always be yours but once we are married you will also have access to my apartments and to… our common bedroom.” Harry looked at him quickly on that, to assess his reaction. 

Louis wasn't surprised. His mother had explained how he would be set up in the new castle. So he just nodded and smiled shyly. The English prince seemed quite relieved and grinned. “My apartments are adjacent to yours and this door- he pointed at a small door hidden behind a curtain- goes directly to our common chamber. It will be locked until the wedding” he added quickly. 

A few servants arrived in the room, carrying some of Louis’ belongings. Others were following and putting on the floor, trunks, cases, boxes of all shapes. Harry took Louis’ hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it lightly. “I will go now my dear. You will have time to refresh, rest and install yourself. The super will be at 9.30. But don’t worry it is an intimate dinner with only my family. It will be in my mother’s apartments. A maid will show you the way. If you need anything, just send to find me.” Louis nodded and smiled again shyly. As soon as Harry was out, he just dropped on the bed, completely exhausted. 

He fell asleep without realizing and at 8.45, Louise shook him gently. While he was sleeping, his people had arranged and put in order all of his belongings. He didn't have time for a bath, but Danielle and Louise washed him quickly with a wash-cloth. He still looked tired with dark rings under his eyes, but at least he felt refreshed. They got him dressed in tight black trousers, white shirts and a blood red frock. He insisted to wear his favourite leather boots and his beloved Phrygian hat. The girls giggled sweetly at the result. Danielle pinched his cheeks quite hard to make them darken so that he didn’t look so pale. 

After a last glance at the mirror, he followed the Queen’s maid, who was sent to pick him up. The Queen’s apartments were absolutely huge. Louis lost count but he was sure they passed across at least ten rooms before they arrived into a dining room. Harry and his mother were sat on a love seat, chatting and sipping a cocktail. Gemma and Niall were at a small game table playing cards and laughing loudly. In a corner, ambassadors Payne and Malik were discussing a glass in the hand. The Englishman was also smoking a cigarette, one of those new things brought back from the Americas by the Spanish explorers. Only the king wasn't yet there. When the maid announced Louis, all eyes turned to him and he was greeted warmly. 

“Louis my dear, come here take a seat” the Queen warbled. Harry immediately jumped on his feet, to leave his seat to Louis. He pulled a chair and sat back facing them. “Would you like something to drink dear?” added the Queen.

“Sure your majesty. Thank you very much.” Louis was presented with a goblet. He raised it to the Queen in appreciation and tasted the sweet liquid. “This is delicious” he commented.

Harry smiled even bigger. “This is sparkling water with lemon, sugar and bitter” he said proudly. “I invented it. I love inventing cocktails.”Louis was a bit shocked. That didn't seem like a normal occupation for a Prince. “Are you having the same?” he asked shyly. Harry seemed delighted that Louis talked to him directly.

“Yes pretty much, but with a bit of liquor as well” he replied cheekily. 

Louis didn't know where to go from there so he complemented the Queen on her decoration. His mother had explained that the Queen was very fond of Oriental designs and decors. Louis could now see the result in the room. The wallpaper and curtains represented Chinese landscapes, the sofas and cushions were covered of Asian calligraphies and Japanese cherry blossoms. The rest of the furniture was clearly Asian as well, made in teak, lacquer and bamboo. A big Chinese screen covered with flowers and birds was hiding a door from where several servants brought dishes for the dining table.  
The Queen seemed pleased with Louis’ remarks and begun to chat about decoration and fashion, curious to know the differences between the French and English tastes.

“Did you ever go to China your majesty? Is it why you love their art so much?” Louis asked innocently. Gemma laughed out loud from the playing table and Louis blushed. Of course he was being stupid. There was no chance that the queen of England would go to China. The queen laughed as well but quite fondly and her eyes sparkled. 

“No Louis, I didn’t go to China. But do you know Sir Cox? The famous English explorer?” Louis nodded, he heard of him yes but didn't remember in which circumstances. “He is one of my good friends and my foster brother. He went to China several times and always tells me the most fantastic stories about his travels. He also brought me some of these” she gestured vaguely to the furniture.  
Louis remembered now, he heard of Sir Cox when his mother hold court. He was the alleged lover of the queen. He felt his ears burning. 

Gemma chose this moment to come over and unceremoniously drop her person on her brother’s lap. He grunted at the impact but just hugged her in response. Niall also pulled a chair and flopped on it like he was close to death. He peered at Louis without hiding at all. Louis knew he was an omega as well but he certainly didn’t seem like one. He behaved more like a beta or even an alpha, unapologetic, loud, and even flippant a bit. Louis couldn’t hold the prince gaze and looked down at his boots. 

“So are you happy you are here, Louis?” Niall asked excitedly. He didn’t let him any time to answer. “I am excited you are here personally” he continued. “Gemma is no fun to play with. I need a pal. You are a bit younger than me but you will do.” Louis was quite chocked that an omega was allowed to speak like that, even when talking to another omega. But Harry and the two ladies just seemed unfazed.

“Yeah I am happy as well, Prince Niall” he forced himself to answer.

“I love his accent it is so cute” Gemma squeaked. Louis scowled for a second at that. What accent? He didn’t want to have any accent! The others didn’t notice but Harry watched him bemused. The king was announced and both Niall and Gemma run to meet their father and hang on his legs and arms. The French prince imagined himself doing the same to his own father and nearly laughed out loud.

Harry gallantly presented his hand to his mother for her to stand up. He then did the same to Louis and he led them towards the dining table and the King. The queen kissed her husband on the cheek, greeting him with a joyful “darling!” she then sat down at the table, gesturing to Niall and Gemma to do the same. The king turned around to Louis and Harry. Louis bowed instantly, very impressed by the alpha’s aura.

“Louis, welcome son” the king exclaimed enthusiastically. His voice was so loud that it made Louis flinch. The king put both his hands on the omega’s shoulders and then gave him a frank hug. Louis nearly passed out but managed to go sit. Harry was next to him and immediately put his palm on the little prince’s tigh under the table. He just squeezed it lightly, to encourage him and then left his hand there.  
It was like an iron, burning his skin through his trousers. But the presence was also quite soothing. The dinner went quite well even if it was a blur by the end for Louis. He didn’t speak much and when he had to, he struggled a bit with his English, his nerves and exhaustion taking the best of him. Nevertheless, the Queen congratulated him on his English and said she hoped her own children would pay more attention in class. She then looked purposely at Niall, who just smiled as innocent as a newborn sheep.


	4. Chapter IV

Louis slowly got used to his new routine. In the morning he was having breakfast and then classes with Gemma and Niall. Both were 15 but they were at the same level, since Louis had always been a very good student. Their professor fell hard for Louis who was always serious, obedient and calm; whereas the twins were just daydreaming or giggling during the lessons.  
Louis got along with the siblings better and better. At their contact he grew a bit more casual and relaxed. He was comfortable with them and considered them as friends. After class, they would often just grab some collation at the kitchen and head to the Queen’s apartment where she held court. 

Unlike his mother’s court that only counted her favorites and closest friends; the apartment of the English queen where often invaded by numerous nobles visiting from the countryside, royals from other countries in diplomatic visits, artists, poets, musicians. Often Gemma and Niall were asked to perform a little something. Gemma would then start singing some sweet carols or famous airs and Niall would accompany her at the harpsichord.

When she heard Louis could play, the Queen insisted he played something too. She was enchanted with his rendition of a popular French song and made him play every time he attended at her court. Sometimes, Harry would be there as well looking at Louis so proudly when he was performing. They didn't talk much at the Queen’s court. Harry was always in deep conversation with some prince, philosopher or General. He was also really busy charming every single person in the room, without even paying attention to it. Louis just stayed with the twins and listened to the poets reading their prose or the explorer counting the fantastic countries they visited.

In private, Louis and Harry grew to know each other better. Some afternoons, the English prince would just show up to his apartments and ask him to follow him. They usually ended having a nice walk and picnic in the park under the big plane trees.  
Once he took him on a ride. He refused for Louis to ride alone when he saw the little omega wasn't an assured rider. Instead he placed him on his own horse in front of him embracing him with his arm as he was riding. They went to the forest and ended up picking flower bouquets and berries.

Louis loved this afternoon so much that he jumped in Harry’s arms several times with excitement. The prince was surprised since Louis was usually so shy but he certainly didn’t complain. He just lost himself admiring his little omega, his wide blue eyes bright and glimmering, his cheeks red with the cold air and his soft hair messy from the wind of the ride. Louis’ laugh, musical and clear like running water was an absolute delight to Harry’s ears. He began to act quite goofy around the small prince, to make him laugh as much as possible. 

Another afternoon he took him on a barque ride on the small lake of the Royal Park. Louis brought his water colours and they stayed there for several hours, Louis painting and Harry just watching him mesmerized. When Louis offered the painting to his fiancé, Harry reached to grab the small prince and pull him towards him. He placed a soft kiss on his neck between his ear and collar bone. The small omega shivered and went completely limp in Harry’s embrace. “Thank you my love” the alpha whispered.

Louis knew he was falling strongly for the beautiful alpha. But he was also getting restless, missing him when they were not together, trying to spot him desperately every time at court and just frustrated they couldn't see each other more. Indeed, Harry was very busy, either training with the guards for combat or in his father’s cabinet taking care of political matters. He was also going hunting with his friends once or twice a week. 

From the maids and servants gossips, Louis heard that Harry was also busy at night, often going out to gamble and drink with his friends. The gossips said he finished his escapades more often in some courtesan bed than his own. Louis was a bit hurt but he recalled the conversation he had with his brother: they were not married yet. Harry was an alpha enjoying his last moments of celibacy.  
Besides, Louis felt that Harry was getting attached too. In the Queen’s chamber, he often felt the prince heavy glare on himself. He would then spot Harry across the room, looking dangerously at him, eyes unusually dark and face a bit tense. 

The day of the wedding was approaching faster and faster, only two weeks left. His brother was expected to arrive soon with the dowry. Louis was so excited to see him again. Whereas liking his new family here, he missed France dearly. He was corresponding with his parents, sisters and cousins but sometimes in the morning, Louis would just feel very homesick and cry a bit. He always had been quite sensible.

The news were all very good. Eleanor was happy in Brittany and had found a new suitor who seemed very persistent. Her husband didn’t care at all, busy with mistresses of his own. Charlotte was expecting her second child and was hoping for a girl, after the little Prince she had two years before. Félicité was taking the waters on the Spanish coasts, enjoying life a bit, outside the pressure of the court.  
His mother had a new friend, a Byzantine princess married to a Russian lord. The Queen was quite fond of her and had made her her new favourite. Louis wasn’t surprised. His mother always had liked a bit of scandal; and the story of this princess persecuted by her own brother, exiled at the Russian court and now at the French one was the biggest gossip in Europe at the moment. Louis even wrote to his father, talking mostly about the weather, his classes and small anecdotes from the court. 

He couldn’t help but notice that all the letters he received where open beforehand. He complained about it to Ambassador Payne. The Frenchman seemed quite uneasy and assured Louis he would talk to the King. But he also encouraged Louis to not pay attention to it and that it probably would continue for a while. Louis knew he was writing nothing wrong and had no business being worried. However he felt quite insulted that someone would read his private correspondence.

On a Thursday morning Harry entered Louis’ room. The little omega had just woken up and was still very sleepy. Danielle and Louise bowed low and excused themselves living them alone. Louis sat on his bed a bit ashamed of his appearance. His hair was probably all over the place and he was wearing his favourite night shirts, very soft and oversize but also very threadbare. Harry didn’t seem to notice though and sat next to him. 

“Your brother arrived in Dover this morning my love” he announced happily. “He will be here tomorrow morning. And he has a surprise!” he added as if they were plotting something.

“Really what is it???” Louis jumped so excited, but Harry just shook his head. “Please just give me a clue”. The alpha mimed zipping his mouth and Louis play slapped him on the chest rolling his eyes.

Harry was very quick though and grabbed Louis hand before pulling him hard towards him and laying on his back. Louis found himself on top of the alpha, firmly embraced against his torso. He didn't know what to do and just blushed madly. Harry grinned and rolled over, tackling him under his body. Before Louis could process anything, Harry was kissing his neck and sucking sweetly at the soft skin. He released short whiny breath and Harry growled. 

“You like that princess?” To be honest, Louis was freaking out, his heart was beating so fast, threatening to burst but he also liked it yes. He liked it very much. He felt safe there under Harry. And loved. And desired. So he didn’t answer the question but squeaked a shy:

“I love you Harry”. The alpha watched him straight in the eyes and kissed him hard on the lips. He began to suck at Louis’ lips, parting them with his tongue and entering it into the omega’s mouth.

Louis was shivering a bit, feeling Harry massaging his tongue, exploring his mouth, licking everywhere. Louis tried to respond as best as his could and Harry let out a big moan.

Without stopping the kisses, the alpha lifted the omega again and layed back against the pillows and the bed head. He placed Louis on his tummy in a straddling position hugged him tight with both his arms, bringing him as close as possible. Louis was sat there, straddling his abs, hand rested on his pecks, imprisoned in his embrace and kissing him back. Harry was bursting with joy and excitement. 

“You didn’t let me any chance did you?” He grunted. “How can you be so adorable? You want my death?” Louis supposed it wasn’t a real question and didn’t answer, instead he kept kissing Harry. He quite enjoyed that. He moved his hand experimentally on Harry’s chest. He caressed his neck and arrived in his curls. He massaged the scalp a bit and pulled the locks lightly. Harry closed his eyes and panted. Louis felt something hard in his back. He turned his head and noticed the bulge in Harry’s tight leather trousers. He was making Harry get hard. It disconcerted him a bit and he stopped his hands. Harry noticed and was faced with a flushed and very uneasy Louis. He chuckled a bit. 

“Yeah Lou” he breathed out “you make me feel so good. You are so beautiful. You are the one that makes me so hard. Does that scare you my love?” He added concerned when he studied the face of his omega.

“A little bit”. Louis was always honest with Harry. “But… I want to make you feel good. I want you to be pleased with me”

Harry snorted loud at that “I couldn't be more pleased to have you darling”. He kissed him hard again, pulling him impossibly closer. Louis was completely limp in Harry’s arm and a bit light-headed. Finally the alpha pulled away and rolled Louis on his side. He jumped off the bed and began to walk around the room. Louis was still flying a bit, trying to recover his senses. Harry came across his portrait on Louis’ writing desk.

“I am jealous. I want a portrait of you too. I want tenths paintings of you. Everywhere in the castle! Didn't I promise you a portrait worth of your beauty?” Louis nodded. The English prince calmed down a bit. “Louis I also came here to tell you that the fitting for your wedding suit will be this afternoon. My mother and Gemma are so excited.” He rolled his eyes a bit. “I think it is a waste of time. You could come to church in this piece of rag that you’re wearing and you still would be the most beautiful groom ever”. 

Louis opened his mouth in a small o shape. He didn’t know if he had to respond to the compliment or the insult. Harry laughed and watched him so fondly that Louis felt his insides melt.

“I have to go princess” the prince said heading to the door. “Don’t be late to class”, he added cheekily.


	5. Chapter V

Louis wasn’t late for his class but was distracted all along. He couldn’t answer any question and wouldn’t be able to explain what they had studied to save his life. Niall and Gemma were watching him knowingly. At lunch, Niall poked his side, to bring him back to earth. He repeated a question he apparently had already asked without success. 

“So you are head over hills for Harry uh?”

“Yes I… I love him” Louis breathed out. The twins giggled.

”owwwww so romantic!” Gemma cooed. “I hope it is the same with my husband and that he loves me as much as Harry loves Lou” she said more seriously.

“pfff” Niall barfed “Gemma you will never get married! Nobody would want you as a wife”

Gemma threw him a dirty look. “But it is ok, you can come live with me and my husband and be our pet” He laughed loudly and stuffed food in his mouth.  
-“well yeah if he dares to marry you one day” the princess returned. “he doesn’t seem very eager if I am honest.” Niall just shrugged uninterested.  
Louis was lost. 

“Niall you are betrothed? He asked widening is soft eyes. “To whom? Why don’t I know that?”

“the prince of Ireland, Sir Devine” Niall told, his mouth full. “I am his promised since we are little kids but our two countries have had difficult times these past few years. Our wedding will be the last step in the rebuilding of our friendship and alliance.” He stuck his tongue out at Gemma. “But Gemma here, she has no fiancé and no suitor” Niall announced triumphal. She crossed her arms on her chest, pouting a bit.

“Don’t worry Gemma” Louis said softly. “For sure you will get married! But maybe that’s better that you don’t get married too young. Just enjoy your time for now”. Both the twins faced him with serious faces.

“You don’t want to get married Louis? You think you’re too young?” Niall asked uneasy.

The little prince sighed. “I don’t know. I do wanna get married and I love Harry and I feel very lucky to become his mate. But… you know… I know nothing. I don’t know what to do and I am scared he will be disappointed in me. And I didn’t have my first heat yet, so I am not even a man, I am just a baby. I am scared Harry won’t like me”. Louis felt so stupid voicing his fears out loud to his friends, but he also felt relieved. He needed to talk about it.

Gemma was smiling kindly at him. “Lou, I understand that you are scared. But I can assure you that Harry will love you no matter what, even if you have no clue and you are still a baby. He is crazy about you, completely gone, head over hills.”

“You never had a heat but did you ever produce any slick” Niall asked. Louis gasped instantly blushing like mad. “Rho oh my god just relax Lou” Niall added annoyed “it’s only me, you and Gemma here. Two omegas and a girl, who is quite used to disgusting details, since she has you know, periods! There is nothing shameful about it. You are an omega, you go into heats, you produce slick, you get fucked in the ass. Let’s talk about it so you know a little bit and freak out less, shall we?”

Louis composed himself “yeah sorry, you’re right. I am just not used to that” he whispered looking like a deer caught in lights. “No I never produced slick. I don’t think I did. And… you know my brother he told me that I should touch myself when I am…” he threw a frightened look at Gemma who just silently pushed him to continue “when I am hard. That it would help me to know what I like and make sex better. But I tried and I don’t know, it doesn't work. I feel stupid and it feels good for a bit and then I just get bored”

Niall laughed. “Oh my god Louis, you don’t jack off. What are we going to do with you?” He smiled fondly. “Did you ever jeez at least?”  
Louis tried his best to hold his tears. “Yeah yeah sometimes, you know with dreams in the morning”. Niall saw that the little prince was borderline crying and squeezed his arm. “Do you remember what these dreams are about?”

“No not really”, he hissed and blushed again “but I know sometimes it’s about Harry”.

“Well when you touch yourself you have to think about Harry then. Just relax and let your mind wonder. What do you wish he did to you and your body? And don’t touch only your dick. Try to tease yourself. You nipples, your stomach even your hole you know”.

“Do you do that yourself?” Louis asked baffled. 

Niall shrugged. "Yeah sometimes but you know during my heats I just have too. I have been having them for 8 months now and it is absolute hell my friend. Since I don’t have a mate, he can’t fuck me, so I have to do it myself you know”. Louis was fascinated now. 

“How is it? The heat?”

“It just fucking sucks. During one week every two month you become completely crazy, you can’t control yourself anymore. You are hard and horny all the time and it is fucking painful. You also feel hot and uncomfortable. The only thing that can help you is being fucked and knotted by an alpha. Too bad for me, I don’t have one yet.”

Louis was very impressed but he still had lots of questions. Talking about it was actually soothing. Niall was just so casual about it. It made him feel better.  
“Do you think I will hurt a lot?” he asked whimpering a bit. His brother had warned him and his mother told him to be brave in one of her letters. Louis was actually very worried. Niall winced a bit.

“You know apparently the first time is always a bit painful. But you have to know that for you it will probably be worse since you are not of age. In the nature, you wouldn’t have to have sex just yet. That’s why you have to think about what excites you and try to be hard during the sex. Yeah? Also I am sure Harry will do everything for you to suffer the least possible. Since you don’t produce slick, he is gonna use some oil. And he is gonna be gentle don’t worry. You will just have to relax and think that it is only a bad time to pass and then it will be finished and you will be Harry’s mate forever.”

The little omega spent his entire afternoon with the stylists, tailors and fabric salesmen. Gemma and the Queen were also trying gowns out for the wedding. They all agreed on Louis’ costume: white trousers and shirts and a frock white and silver, embroidered with gold threads and pearl. His shoes were of matching black and gold colors. The stylist decided that he would wear on his hair a gold, pearls and fresh flowers wreath. Gemma who was a bridesmaid, chose a pink and orange gown and her mother a dark blue one. Harry was just going to wear his usual black and red colours but in nicer fabrics. 

At the end of the fitting, Louis was just exhausted. He skipped supper and went directly to sleep. One hour later he was on his bed drowsing and crushed by a terrible headache. I was also quite worried he might puke. He just felt awful. He was quite surprised when Harry himself came to check on him. He had been away all day, on some business outside of London.

“Hey little one. I heard you skipped dinner?” His voice was gentle and worried.

“Yes, I just have a headache. Maybe it is all the fitting”. His own voice was too loud and painful to hear.

Harry bent over and gently caressed his forehead. “You do feel a little bit warm. I hope you are not feverish. Maybe it would be better that you see a doctor” he was frowning now and if Louis hadn’t been busy trying to focus and not see blurry, he would have melted from the devastating cuteness of his alpha. 

Harry pushed his hair away from his forehead and sat down next to Louis who just couldn’t hold his eyes open. He heard the prince ring the bell that arrived in his maids’ room. They came hurriedly and he sent them to find the royal doctor. Louis wanted to protest. It was just a headache and he didn’t want to create such a fuss. He felt stupid for worrying Harry. But he didn’t really have the strength to talk. 

A small man with big glasses and draped in black robes came and begun to examine the young prince. Louis thought he was probably 100 years old. When asked, Harry point blank refused to leave. He settled to wait on a chair by the fireplace because the doctor growled that he needed some space.

Louis was indeed a bit feverish but the physician wasn’t too worried. He concluded that Louis was just too stressed and overwhelmed with everything happening. He needed rest and should stay in bed as much as possible. He also prescribed herbal infusion that would calm him down. 

It was quite common for omegas to be subject to nerves before important weddings so the doctor wasn’t surprised and reassured Harry that everything was all right. What seemed to preoccupy him more was Louis’ teeny figure. The omega always had been very small, short and skinny. He was healthy though and didn’t have any eating disorder or anything like that. He was just small with a small appetite. But the doctor said that Louis needed to gain some weight and develop his hips if he wanted to bear a child. He prescribed him a diet that would make him gain a few pounds. 

“If he doesn’t that could be dangerous for him and the future baby. He has to get stronger for pregnancy” the old man concluded before leaving.


	6. Chapter VI

Louis was woken up by a body covering him completely and shaking him with excitation. “Niall stop it” he grunted trying to push the body away. 

But Niall didn’t have long hair to tickle his nose and he didn’t smell of Hungarian rose and lily of the valley. He didn’t giggle so high either. Louis opened his eyes and was faced with a young lady. Her big grey eyes were shining as bright as her beautiful smile. Her long curls were retained by a sparkly hairnet. Her cheeks were pink with excitement. She just looked so lovely. It was Eleanor!

“Eleanor! How?... Why? You… are here??” Louis was so shocked. He couldn’t make sense right now.

“I came with Henri! He picked me up in Brittany. I couldn’t miss the marriage of my baby cousin! And Brittany needed an emissary for the event anyways!” Her voice was as joyful and enthusiastic as Louis remembered. 

The young Queen finally got up and Louis could sit down. Henri was standing all smiles next to Harry behind Eleanor. Finally Louis got out of his trance and jumped to hug his beloved cousin. The queen giggled with her crystal laugh and hugged him back. After a few minutes, he jumped to hug his brother who lifted him a bit and crushed him in his arms. Louis then hugged Harry, because why not, and even Louise. The maid was very surprised but kept her mien. She gave a warm smile to the little prince and guided him back to bed. Following the doctor’s orders he shouldn’t get up too much. 

Louis was electrified though and couldn’t calm down. Eleanor cooed at him gaily. She took off her leather gloves and her furry mantle that she threw at Danielle before unceremoniously plunging on the bed and seating next to Louis, under the blankets.

“So LouLou, I heard you’re poorly my dear” she inquired in French with her melodious voice.

“No I am too nervous.” He was a bit ashamed. It was typical behaviour of an omega and thus why they were inferiors to alphas and betas. “And I need to gain weight”. She laughed out loud.

“You know all these old doctors they are obsessed with the size of our hips! It is the same for me, you should see in Brittany how they try to stuff me. Soon I’ll be fatter than the pope!” Everyone giggled. Eleanor while taller than Louis was as slim as her cousin and it was quite difficult to imagine her equalling the Pope in size. The old man was renowned for his appetite and cardinals coming back from Rome to their home-town spread the stories of his gargantuan meals.

“Your Altesse, we are going to leave you with Prince Louis for a while to catch up. I know he missed you terribly these couple of years. Henri and I will go hunt and join you all for tea.” Louis always forgot that Harry’s French was that good. They only spoke English together but the Prince was fluent in French and it was the official language for state ceremonies.

Eleanor thanked him graciously and bowed her head. That was quite funny considering she was in Louis’ bed and under his sheets. The two older men left and the maids also retired, busy unpacking the Queen’s luggage.

“oh my god this Harry is something LouLou. He looks like a Greek god seriously.” She whispered excited.

“I know he is lovely as well” he blushed a bit.

“ahah you like him lots don’t you?” she was ecstatic. “Oh Lou, I am so happy for you. He seems to really care for you. You deserve it my love. You deserve to be happy.” Louis wondered in awe how he could have spent these 3 years without her. Now that she was here at his side, everything seemed brighter and friendlier.

“I missed you so much El.” He simply said. But they both knew how deep the statement was. They chatted the whole day before heading to tea. Louis told her all about the French court and then the English one. He detailed everything he did with Harry and how Niall and Gemma were so funny and how the Queen was so nice with him. 

Eleanor talked about her court. She felt comfortable there. Since Brittany was a small country, the court was less formal than the French or English ones and she was quite free. They weren't in love with her husband but developed a close friendship, behaving more like brother and sister than spouses. They both liked and respected each other, conducting their own love affairs on their sides, as long as it was discreet. They were sleeping together only a few times a month, after her periods, to try to make an heir.

Eleanor was happy with her life, everything went well and she was head over hills for her new lover, a Danish count named Maximilian. Louis was impressed, he had heard of the count. He was a war hero in the Italian wars ten years ago, then a mercenary hired by the court of Milan. He was captured by the French and held hostage but managed to escape and helped to free the city.

“But this Count Maximilian he is an enemy to France and hence to Brittany. Isn’t it dangerous to get involved with him?

“He was a paid mercenary back then, just doing his job” she said seriously. “He has nothing against France or Brittany. Besides, my court while friend with France is independent and chooses freely who they are willing to associate with”. Louis laughed.

“What a queen you must be, dear cousin. You speak with such conviction and passion. No wonder your people love you.” She smiled cheekily.

“Your people will love you as well Lou! They already do, if I am to believe the news I receive from our ambassador. But they will love you even more when they get to know you.”

Danielle and Louise came and prepared them for the tea with the rest of the family. Eleanor changed in a lighter flowery gown. Her travel dress was too heavy, warm and dark for such a meeting. She also took her hairnet off and let her curls fly free in her back, only retained by small pearl hairclips and a gorgeous tiara made of turquoise and diamonds. Louis was dressed in a simple light blue tunic and light grey trousers. They looked stunning in these afternoon costumes and could totally pass for brother and sister. 

He offered her his arm and they headed to the Queen’s apartments. But the reception didn’t take place there as usual. The queen had decided that the afternoon tea would take place outside, in the royal garden under the beautiful kiosk next to the fountain. It was a beautiful day and she wanted everyone to enjoy the sun and the warm weather. 

The king and queen were on a golden swing, the king seeping some liquor. Niall was in conversation with ambassador Malik and Gemma was admiring flowers with a few of her ladies. The king got up at their entry and came to present his hand to Eleanor.  
“Madame, this is an absolute honour and a pleasure to receive her Majesty the Queen of Brittany here in London”.

Eleanor smiled graciously. “Your majesty is too kind. The pleasure and honour are mine and I am very happy for my cousin to soon be part of such a glorious family”  
The king seemed delighted and addressed Louis: “Are there anyone in your family that is short of divine?” Both Eleanor and Louis blushed a bit at the praise. 

They followed the king and sat on a love seat. The table was impressive. There were vanilla and coffee ice screams as well as fruit sorbets, lemon cakes, flans, apple sauce, cream puffs, brioche, butter and marmalades, caramels, hot chocolate, candied fruits, marzipan, butter cookies, pasta stuffed with cheese and raisins, apricot and apple jelly, meringues, fruit and nuts tarts. That was insane. There was enough food to provide the Convent Dominica for a year. Louis was really thankful to the royals to welcome Eleanor with such pomp. 

“Harry, Henri and Liam Payne are still hunting” the Queen said. “What do you think we start while waiting for them? These boys don’t rule the world… yet”. Despite her words, you could see the queen wasn’t offended at all. As a matter of fact she was very fond of her son and his nonchalant attitude. But she was quite gourmand and couldn’t resist all the treats much longer.

She clapped her hands and everybody took seat around the table. The servants also came with wood boxes containing different teas. Louis knew it was the most expensive and refined ones, the ones used only for special occasions. He chose a spicy one coming from the English colonies in India. Eleanor was flabbergasted and finally made her choice on a Chinese one with a jasmine flower that opens in the hot water. 

The young queen also clapped her fingers and one of her maids came with several boxes. She first gave her presents to the King and Queen. The queen was delighted with the range representing the coast of Brittany and the embroidered handkerchiefs; the King seemed to enjoy the collection of daggers and the pocket watch. Eleanor then gave the twins a kite each. Niall’s one was a black and white vessel, of the Bretons’ colours. Gemma’s was a red and white dragon, colours of the English monarchy. 

The kids were so excited and couldn’t wait to try their kite. Niall was stuffing food in his mouth to try and finish eating as soon as possible. Louis was a bit jealous and wanted to try the kite as well but manage to contain himself. He didn’t want to behave like a baby in front of his in laws and his beloved cousin. 

Gemma was very interested in Eleanor and also very impressed with her class and beauty. She couldn’t stop complimenting her on her hair, jewels, dress… Eleanor promised they would go shopping together and the little princess was thrilled. At 15, she was indeed very beautiful but lacked femininity. She had a few girl friends in her entourage but still spent nearly all her time with Niall doing tricks, running around and driving their maids mad, not a very ladylike behaviour. 

The food was delicious but all the guests decided to take a break. The queen and Eleanor went in the roses garden to admire the flowers. Niall, Gemma and Louis went on the big laws and flew the kites, the king and Zayn watching them smoking. Three horse riders arrived quickly. Harry jumped on the floor full of energy. Liam and Henri dismounted slower but were as pumped as the prince. The three of them were covered in mud and blood. Their horses were fuming and dripping sweat. They looked like soldiers coming right from a battle. Or pagan gods the Vicking used to worship.

“I am dying of hunger” Harry exclaimed. He took his hunting hat and his mantle off before flinging them to the closest servant. He was going to seat at the table when his mother intervened.

“Harry, the three of you should go wash quickly before joining us. You are certainly in no state to have tea with us and her majesty the Queen of Brittany.” She punctuated her words with a big menacing glance. Henri burst out laughing and Harry smiled cheekily. The three of them left quickly and came back half an hour later clean and changed.

“Your woods are fantastic you majesty” Henri commented. “We had one deer and two bores as well as a few rabbits and foxes. It was a great hunt”

“I am pleased you enjoyed it” the King responded. “I was told indeed that you are a great hunter”

“I was told the same about you” Henri laughed. “Perhaps his Majesty would join us next time?”

The king laughed as well. “I would love too. Let’s organize a big hunt for this weekend with the lords of the court” he clapped his fingers and a servant came to take his instructions. 

The three hunters ate heartily while the rest of the group was just pecking at this point. However Harry, who probably took the doctor’s advice to heart, made sure to serve Louis with a few pieces of tart, cake and flan. The omega ate everything to please him. They all watched the sunset, accompanied with the music of a quartet, while seeping tea and liquor for the men. Louis begun to shiver a bit and Harry en-wrapped him in his mantle before putting him on his lap. 

The guests were all sated and a bit sleepy. At 7 they all retired in their apartment to get ready for supper. Henri and Eleanor were installed in the guests quarters but Eleanor already warned that she would sleep with Louis and spend pretty much all of her time with her little cousin. They both took a nap to rest and digest and begun to prepare at 9. The supper was supposed to be at 9.30. It wasn’t a big reception but still a few members of the court would attend. They had to be presentable and well behaved. 

They dressed in colour coordinated outfits of navy blue velvet, white satin and ermine fur. They also both wore beret hats, inclined on the side, following Paris latest fashion.  
Harry himself came to pick them up. “Wow who is who? You look like twins.” He joked. He gave a sweet kiss to Louis and pecked Eleanor’s hand like a real gentleman.

“Prince Harry I didn’t give your present yet since you were busy hunting our dinner” she said cheekily.

“Your presence is present enough” he gallantly replied and Eleanor just waved her hand like she wanted to get rid of the forced compliments. 

She took out too velvety boxes and handed them to Louis and Harry. Both were containing necklaces. Harry’s one was a gold gull and Louis’ was a vessel.

“This is Brittany’s symbols. It also means you belong to each other. The gull always follows the boat in the sea but the gull also guides the boat back to the shore”.

They both hugged her. Harry seemed to truly appreciate the present and its meaning. “Don’t make Breton’s sayings lie” the queen slipped at the alpha. He looked at her straight in the eyes and smiled softly.

“I won’t my queen. I promise. We do belong to each other”. Eleanor felt his candour and squeezed his shoulders.

 

They headed to the official dining table in the reception gallery. Louis hadn’t eaten there yet. It was very impressive and pompous. During the dinner, Louis didn’t speak much. He was placed between Gemma and Niall; Eleanor and Henri, who were the guests of honour, at either side of the king and queen. Harry was next to the duke of Yorkshire.

Everything was normal but in the middle of supper, a red haired man dressed all in black came to whisper something in Harry’s ear. Louis had only seen the man a few times getting out of Harry’s chambers or riding along his side. He knew he was Harry’s shadow, his most faithful and closest servant. According to the rumors, the ginger man was a cunning and skilful spy, a fantastic warrior as well as ruthless assassin. Louis didn’t know how much of it was true but he could feel the cruelty pouring out of the man, he was indeed very scary. 

Harry got up and excused himself to the company before leaving quickly with his servant. Louis was a bit rattled and wondered what news would be so urgent to make the prince leave supper so hurriedly. Niall whispered to his ear:

“this is something to do with a rebellion in the north. I heard them talking yesterday”

“is it serious?”

Niall shrugged. “I dunno. We always have problems with the Scottish tribes”

They went back to eating and Harry came back one hour later just in time for cheese and fruits. Louis was still working on his meats. Henri insisted he took rabbit, bore and deer, but the omega who was still full from the afternoon tea couldn’t finish. He discretely passed his food to Niall who ate everything in a heartbeat. Harry saw it and winked at the small prince before shaking his head slowly. He then went on and served a full plate of cheeses, bread and fruit compote to his omega. Louis frowned and pouted but tried his best to eat everything. 

When came dessert he was ready to explode. Harry didn’t seem to notice and served him a huge part of the fruit charlotte, as well as several petits fours and a crepe with chestnuts, apples and Chantilly cream. The crepes were served to honour the queen of Brittany and Eleanor proposed a toast to the alliance of their two families. After dinner, men retired in the garden to smoke and have a brandy. Women and omegas stayed in the salon listening to the orchestra and chatting. 

Louis couldn’t move and just stayed on his chair trying not to throw up. After a bit he began to feel a bit better. Harry came from behind and put his big hands on the omega’s frail shoulders.

“Do you want to come outside for a bit?” he whispered in his ear and kissed his hair. “the fresh air will make you feel better”

Louis got up but replied “I would feel better if you didn’t try to make me blow up”. He wasn’t really mad but still a bit sassy. Harry just laughed out loud “I would never do such thing my love”. He kissed his hair again and continued behind his ears and on his neck before pulling away and guiding Louis to the balcony.

“What was that at dinner?” The omega asked curious “why did your man come and why did you leave?”

Harry shook his head “it has nothing to do with us and it is boring. Let’s rather talk about how fantastic you look in this very French outfit” he said flirting shamelessly. He was playing with the buttons on Louis’ tunic and even put a hand under his shirts, caressing the skin of his abdomen. Louis wanted to protest but was quickly overwhelmed by Harry’s touches.

The alpha looked around before jumping off the balcony. It wasn’t high at all, around one meter, but Louis was still impressed. Harry opened his arms for the omega and helped him come down. He then proceeded to push him in a bush and pressed him against a wall. He attacked his neck with kisses before kissing him passionately on the lips. He smelled of liquor and tobacco and it was delicious. They were snogging shamelessly now and Harry lifted the omega off the ground, placing his legs around his own waist. He began to rub a bit against the little prince who was very light-headed at this point. Louis could feel Harry’s hard member on his crotch, tights and tummy. He felt excited as well and began to get hard.

“yeahhhhhhh” Harry sighted heavily “you have to stop being that cute, I can’t resist. I want you so bad” his tone was low and raspy. “You are mine. Mine only mine”. He kissed him hard again and placed his giant hands on his bum, squeezing lightly. Louis’ heart was pounding so fast that he was a bit scared to have a stroke. Harry moved one hand and placed his fingers under his underwear. He was caressing and massaging the skin there, making Louis gasp and put his arms around Harry’s neck to pull him closer. The alpha went lower and lower, exploring with his fingers until he reached the little prince’s entrance. He didn’t push in, just stayed there caressing the rim while his other hand was now on Louis’ nipples and torso. The omega was shivering, completely at his mate’s mercy. Harry sighted again and stopped kissing him. He rested his forehead against Louis’ “you are so divine, how do you even exist?”

Louis moaned in return, unable to form any word or to concentrate on anything other than Harry touching him. The prince kissed him a few last times on the neck and collarbones before putting him back on the ground. He expired slowly to calm himself and readjusted their clothes before taking Louis’ hand and pulling him towards the terrace where lots of gentlemen were still smoking. Louis was still flushed and out of breath when Harry sat him down in a sofa next to Eleanor and his mother. They both watched him knowingly but didn’t comment. Harry dropped on a chair nearby.

 

“So mother, is there something planed for tomorrow? Maybe their Altesses the Queen of Brittany and Dauphin of France have something special in mind?” He looked at Eleanor who sent him a dashing smile.

“Well my prince, there are lots of things I want to do in your great land. I would like to visit London and go to your cathedral. I keep hearing about your fantastic opera prodigy, this young singer who is 15 years of age. I would like to go see him perform if it is possible. I also promised your sister that we would go shopping. And I would like to stroll in your beautiful park, maybe have a pastoral picnic. Louis told me you did it a few times and he loved it very much.”

“We certainly can do all that your Altesse” agreed Harry. “Maybe we should stay in the park tomorrow though since Louis should rest on the doctor’s orders. Going out to the city would probably be too tiring.”

“Of course” she smiled. Louis was getting tired and saw that Gemma was already asleep on a sofa in the corner of the room. Niall came giggling and hugged Louis from behind before dropping on his brother’s lap. Louis could tell he was tipsy, eyes shining and breath smelling alcohol. Harry smelt it too of course and gently caressed his brother’s hair, trying to calm him down. Niall cuddled into Harry’s embrace. 

They chatted a bit more before Eleanor said she was tired and wanted to excuse herself. She took Louis’ hand and they bid goodnight to everyone. The queen followed them taking Gemma to bed and Harry carried Niall to his apartment.

“You can’t drink like that Niall. You are an omega and you are unmated. It is dangerous for you and irresponsible. And it is also very bad for your image. You and I sometimes sharing a beer in private is completely different than you getting drunk in a public reception. You know that. Who served you the alcohol?”

“M sorry Harry. I just wanted to have a lil bit of fun. It’s so unjust. Why can’t I drink like you and father?”

“Because you are a baby omega” he said tenderly “who served you the alcohol?”

“the Lord of Brighton. But he was just nice Harry. He didn’t do anything bad”

“He tried to get the Omega prince of England drunk. How is that not bad?”

“He was just being a lad and let me share his drinks”

“We will talk about this tomorrow” he said putting the little omega to bed. He helped him take off his clothes and put on his night shirts.

“Louis is really nice. I love him. You love him too?” Niall asked drunkenly

“Yes I love him” he said tucking him in.

“You love him more than me?” he asked cautiously and a bit sad. Harry took his little brother in sight. He was usually loud and bigger than life but now, curled under the blankets he was just a small hesitant and vulnerable child.

“Of course not. I love Louis he is going to be my mate. But I don’t love him more than you or Gemma. It is just different. You will always be my baby brother, no one else will ever be.”

Niall seemed relieved “I love you too”. Harry smiled bright and kissed his brother on both cheeks before blowing the candles and leaving the room. He went to Gemma’s room where she was already fast asleep and kissed her on the forehead before heading to Louis’ apartment.

Louis and Eleanor were in there night shirts, curled under the blankets and Henri was laying at their side, outside the sheets and in his clothes. They were all laughing out loud at something. Harry knew that Louis was close to his brother. It was obvious from the stories he told or the way he described his family. But seeing the connection for real was something different. You could really feel the love and ease between them. Harry wasn’t jealous, he knew it was the same relationship he had and cherished with his own siblings. He left the room without noise, not wanting to interrupt them and just headed back to the reception room to join the king and the remaining guests.


	7. Chapter VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I would like to say a massive massive thank you (!! ;) to everyone reading, commenting and leaving kudos. I hope you all enjoy it. It is a pleasure to write!
> 
> I would like to precise a few things about the story.  
> First as you probably understood, in this universe only males are A/B/O. Girls are regular girls and marry betas and alphas.  
> Also, although it is a fictional world (so A LOT of historical innacuracies), the story takes place at the beginning of the 16th century, around 1510.  
> The dynamic between Harry & Ed is influenced by Cesare & Micheletto's relationship in "The Borgias" on showtime. Actually my prince Harry in very losely based on Cesare Borgia (whitout the incest ;)
> 
> Hope you all enjoy! xx

Two hours later, Harry was quite drunk and talking vividly about the Scottish situation with some duke from Sussex. Henri came back and gave him a pat on the back. Harry drunk-hugged him and they took rounds of shots.  
At one moment, a young count shouted that they should go to the casino. Everyone thought it was a fantastic idea and they all left. Only the king and a few older gentlemen stayed at the castle. Some of the men packed in a coach, Harry, Henri and a few others jumped on their horses.

They ended up at the gambling house where Henri won 100 gold coins before deciding to buy drinks for everyone. Harry resisted the courtesans pretty well until the sun was high in the sky and he was really hammered. He picked a little omega who looked vaguely like Louis and fucked him roughly. Of course it was disappointing. He didn’t have Louis’ soft skin, intoxicating scent and perfect body. He didn’t have his cute attitude, didn’t taste like him and didn’t shiver when Harry kissed him. 

On their way back, Henri didn’t make any comment –he wasn’t really in position to do so- but feeling his gaze on him was enough to make Harry feel guilty. He was very (very) attracted to Louis and knew he was also quite in love with him but he couldn’t control his inner alpha just yet.  
It was also so frustrating for Harry because he wanted the little omega so bad but he also didn’t want to do anything until he was ready. He knew he would have to knot him at the wedding night but the thought made him freak out. He knew it was going to be a difficult moment. He would have to knot him anyways. Harry didn’t want that, he wanted Louis to desire him as much as he did. He wasn’t even sure he could perform knowing he was forcing Louis and hurting him. 

He went to bed his head full of worries and was woken up by his maids at 1pm. He had to get ready for the afternoon picnic and stroll in the park with Queen Eleanor. He hurried for his bath and let his maid put a bit of powder under his eyes to try and erase the dark circles. He crossed path with Henri in a corridor and they exchanged a knowing look. 

In the garden, Eleanor, Louis, the twins and Zayn were playing croquet while waiting for him. The Queen was resting under the kiosk with a few of her favorites. Someone was playing the harp and a young duke was singing. Harry placed his hand on the small of Louis’ back before murmuring a teasing “hello love” in his ear. He then bowed to the queen and hugged his siblings lovingly.  
They were all wearing light fabric clothes and pastel colors, the two ladies sporting straw wide brimmed hats. Harry felt a little bit out of place with his dark leather clothes and his sword at his side but he was a dark prince after all. Maids were carrying umbrellas to shade the players when they were taking a shot. Louis was so excited because he was leading and Harry nearly melted before his sweetness. 

“You look well tired my prince” Eleanor mocked him.

“My lady? You must be misled by the sun” he responded cheeky.

“Oh my bad then. But I would understand my prince. After all gambling saloons and brothels are quite tiring I heard” she gave him a blinding smile.

Harry took a look around; happily Louis was playing right now, too far to hear their conversation.  
He didn’t know how to answer and just kept quiet. The queen didn’t insist and went back to the game to take her shot. Harry excused himself and went to greet his mother. He also grabbed a glass of wine on the table and downed it in one go. He needed it right now.

The game finished soon with Niall victorious. Louis was pouting a bit and Niall, who never was very humble, rubbed his victory all over the other players. The Queen was laughing very loud and Zayn was unimpressed- too used to the prince's behaviour- but Gemma and Louis’ eyes were shooting lightings.  
Harry tried to contain himself and not end cooing all over Louis. They finally left to the forest, Harry and Eleanor each riding their horse and the three teenagers in an open coach. There were also two maids who were carrying the baskets full of food.

“Why can’t we ride as well?” Gemma grunted. “We are gonna be so slow with the coach. And we won’t be able to take the small paths”

“Because you can’t ride” Harry told her softly “and we need the coach anyway for the food”.

“Of course I can ride” she said angrily. “But I can’t improve if you never let me. How come Eleanor can ride?”

“She can ride because she is the queen. When you are a queen yourself you can make your own decisions” he muttered exasperated.

“I wanna ride as well” Niall pouted

“Enough! When we arrive at the glade you may ride. But for now you will just follow us in the coach. I don’t want to hear anything more” he roared in his alpha voice. Louis had never seen Harry being that dominant and it was very impressive. There was no doubt he could be dangerous. Louis felt quite proud and a little bit turned on to have such a strong alpha.

They began their journey. Harry and Eleanor were discussing gallantly leading the way. The twins were still sulky. Louis decided to blow soap bubbles with the little bucket and wooden circle he had brought. The young maids were amazed by it and giggling. Louis gave them the toy so they could try.  
When they arrived in the glades, the maids bustled to prepare the picnic, installing a big tablecloth on the grass and taking out all the food and cutlery.  
Meanwhile, the royals just walked around, throwing small rocks in the pond, picking flowers. Niall brought his kite and flew it, trying to make figures with the vessel. Harry tried to teach Louis how to do ricochets but Eleanor beat them both. It wasn’t very surprising to Louis since Eleanor was just good at everything.

The collation consisted of cold meats and patés, bread, cheese and fruits. They all ate lots. Louis, Gemma and Niall were even allowed two glasses of wine. Harry and the Queen both said they would keep the secret to their grave before sneering.  
After that Louis was tipsy. The wine was quite strong and he wasn’t used to drink at all. Harry placed him between his legs, wrapping his arms around him. Louis felt so good like that, safe, warm and relaxed. He was feeling Harry’s strong pecks and abs in his back as well as his breath behind his ear. He could stay there forever. 

Eleanor let Gemma ride her horse and Niall took Harry’s. They both rode a bit in the glade, under the supervision of the coach driver. The siblings were ecstatic.  
In the middle of the afternoon, Henri joined them and they decided to take a walk in the forest. They picked two full baskets of blackberries and ate half of it on the spot. 

Louis was having so much fun. It really felt like heaven. The weather was beautiful, nearly all his favourite persons were there around him and happy.  
At 6, they decided to go back. Since Henri was impatient and didn’t want to wait for the coach, he offered that they rode double. He pulled Louis onto his horse like he weighted nothing and didn’t wait to see what the others were doing. Harry felt a hint of jealousy and grabbed Niall. He saw Eleanor grabbing Gemma and pulling her on her horse. Therefore he just rushed to try and catch up with Henri. But The French Dauphin was galloping full speed already too far ahead. He could only see him on the horizon, the dust of his race rising behind him. Niall was giggling between his arms, drunk on the speed. When they arrived at the castle, Henri’s horse was already settled in the stalls. He slipped off his horse and help Niall down, who ran towards the kiosk, still overexcited. 

“Don’t forget we have to talk about last night” he shouted at his brother’s back.

“Have you seen Prince Louis” he asked grumpily to a stable boy.  
Harry didn’t know why he was so angry. Nothing really happened. He just didn’t like seeing his omega taken away from him in such a manner. He wondered if Henri had done it to provoke him. The boy shivered before his master’s dark expression. 

“He went to his chambers your majesty”. His voice was shuddering. Harry waved his hand to dismiss him and the boy nearly ran away.  
With huge strides he went to Louis’ apartments and entered without knocking. Louis was at his desk, writing in his journal. But the main thing; he was only wearing his shirts. When he heard the door slam he turned around scared; and blushed seeing Harry. He tried to cover his naked legs and close his collar that was so wide it didn’t leave much of his chest to the imagination. 

Harry was on him with two steps and lifted him roughly. He kissed him hard; pulling his hair and scratching the bear skin on his back. Louis wrapped his arms and legs around Harry, trying to reply to his movements but Harry had never been that intense yet. He threw him on the bed and crawled on top of him. He took both his wrists in his fists and pinned them to the mattress. With his knees he opened Louis’ thighs wide, pressing himself in the middle. Louis was completely helpless, breathing heavily. The alpha went back to snogging him before trailing his neck with wet kisses. He took the bottom of his shirts and moved it up above his nipples exposing Louis.

The omega was lost. He didn’t know what was happening. Why was Harry suddenly aggressively pinning him to his bed?

“Harry? What… uh…?”

“shut up Louis” the alpha growled with his deep voice.

He was kissing his nipples, licking around them and tugging at them lightly. Louis felt himself getting horny, a weird throbbing twinge developing in his lower abdomen.  
Harry was still kissing his chest and proceeded to go south, sucking and biting the skin of his tummy and of his hips. Harry let go of Louis’ hands and began to play with the upper side of his underwear. Suddenly his right hand reached inside and grabbed his dick. Louis gasped and flinched, startled. Harry snorted at his “o” face and lightly tightened his grasp on the omega’s member.

Louis was half hard now. The sensation of Harry’s hand on such a private part made him light-headed. He was panting a bit, closing and opening his eyes, trying to comprehend his feelings. Harry began to move his hand gently, stroking the member. He was squeezing at the base and then letting his hand slide alongside the length with just a bit of pressure. Without stopping he came back up to face Louis and kissed him again, long and sweet. His hand was getting faster and Louis felt himself getting harder. Harry’s fist was moving up and down, pressure now more pronounced.  
His thumb was caressing the red vein swelling on the side. He was also toying his foreskin pulling it to reveal the head and thumbing the slit. 

With a harsh motion of his other hand, he pulled down the underwear, revealing Louis’ cock completely. He stopped a second to get rid of the thing, sliding it off Louis’ legs completely. He came back now pulling quickly at the omega’s hard dick. He sucked at his neck and collarbones and widened the small prince’s legs even more with his knees, spreading him before him. Louis was whimpering now, swallowing hard.

“Nobody ever touched you like that hey?” the alpha growled jerking him off even faster.

Louis wasn’t sure to be able to respond. He shook his head before moaning a “noooo huh Harry!”

“Good because you are MINE” the older prince had his voice low, threatening, full of lust. 

Louis felt precome coming out of his dick. He was becoming more and more vocal, trying to match Harry’s strokes with his hips. He needed to grab something and grasped the sheets with one hand, the other one pulling Harry’s curls. Louis closed his eyes. It felt so good. But it also felt too much.

“Louis look at me” Harry asked. The omega opened his eyes but couldn’t let them open more than ten seconds. He turned his head on the side biting his lower lips and moaning shamelessly.  
“I said look at me!” Harry commended. Louis could hear all his alpha strength contained in his roar and opened his eyes again, trying to focus. 

The older prince dove his gaze into Louis’ eyes, staring at him intensely. Louis couldn’t believe how breathtaking he was. His curly hair formed a halo around his face falling into his animalistic eyes. His pink and swollen lips were spread in a little show-off grin. He was biting the side of his lower lip, his gull necklace rubbing against Louis’ neck.

Louis opened his mouth, feeling the pleasure growing more intense. Harry took the opportunity to kiss him hard again, shoving his tongue into the omega’s mouth and biting his lips. It was sinful; it was dirty and so so good. His hand was still moving fast on Louis’ shaft, focusing on the head more and spreading the precum on the length. With no warning he stopped and Louis whined loudly.

“You want me to continue baby?” Harry teased. “Yeah? Is that what you want?”  
Louis moved his hips forward trying to gain some friction again.

"Yeah that’s what you want hey?” Harry laughed. Louis was so frustrated.

“Yesssss, please Harry, continue. Please.”  
Louis was breathless and wasn’t sure if he was speaking French or English. He didn’t care if he was being a pathetic, whiny omega right now. He needed Harry to go on. He would die if he didn’t. 

Harry squeezed his prick again but still didn’t move. Louis thrusted in his closed fist and Harry smiled at him mockingly. Louis didn’t stop and picked up a rhythm. The alpha let him, staring hungrily. Harry could feel himself rock hard and leaking precum but he didn’t touch himself. With his other hand he pinned Louis’ hips back to the mattress and begun tugging at his cock again. His fist was moving so fast that it was a blur. Louis was shaking and nearly screaming under him now, raising his legs and arching his back. 

Just when he felt the omega was going to orgasm, Harry inserted his other thumb in his anus. He didn’t push far and stayed just past the rim. Louis shook violently and came hard on his chest and over Harry’s fist. He contracted around Harry's thumb several times and continued shaking with waves of pleasure for a while from the aftermath of his orgasm. He finally fell back completely limp on the mattress.  
Harry stroked playfully once again at his cock and the omega whimpered, uncomfortable. He let go of Louis and took his finger out, licking it to taste the little prince. He then collected some of the cum and spread it on Louis’ lips before reaching forward and kissing him hungrily, swallowing the substance and letting Louis taste himself as well. After a few minutes of lazy make out, he pulled out and cleaned Louis with the underwear that was next to them. He could feel the young boy was emotional.

Louis didn’t know why but he was feeling overwhelmed. The whole experience had been great but now he felt empty and melancholic. He knew it was stupid but he couldn’t help and feel the tears rising. Harry felt the omega’s distress and shushed him gently.

“shhhhh it is all right Lou. You are safe. It is normal to feel emotional after your first orgasm. It is powerful and screws up your nerves. Just relax. Breathe. You are alright. No worries.”

The soothing voice helped Louis calm down and fatigue hit him like a truck. He yawned loudly and Harry chuckled.

“ok nap it is” he said lowly. Louis was already half asleep. He got up from the bed and tucked the little omega in before leaving him silently. He nearly run to his chamber where he jacked off desperately, thinking about Louis’ blurry eyes and about his moans equalling those of the best harlots.


	8. Chapter VIII

Louis didn’t wake up for dinner. The evening was calm; everyone played tarot cards and went to bed early. The men wanted to be well rested for the royal hunt the following day. Harry found his henchman in his room playing with a knife.

“You wanted to see me your highness?” he asked his feet still on the desk. The prince glanced amused to the ginger man. He was the only one, except his family, to be allowed such familiarity with Harry. After all the prince trusted him with his life and knew he was his most faithful ally. 

“Yeah, you know the Lord of Brighton?” It was a rhetorical question. Ed knew everyone. He had a web of informers around the whole country; he was the most redoubtable spy. Harry was happy he was on his side and not in his enemies’ pocket.

“Mmh yeah he is a toerag. The kind of scum that leads to problems. He was studying in Oxford and got expelled in shady circumstances. Apparently he was involved in the rape of some omega classmate. The college paid the family and hushed up the case to avoid bad publicity. He was sent to his aunt in London and hangs out with the louse getting into fights and spending his parents’ money on whores”

“What was he doing here yesterday? How did he get invited to dinner?” Harry was bushed.

“His aunt is the Duchess of Kent, one of your mother’s favourites.”

“Mother always kept odd company” the prince muttered. “Well go find this Lord of Brighton and let’s scare him a little. I don’t want him ever again close to my siblings or close to Louis.” Ed gave him a wicked smile.

“As you please my Prince, let’s have some fun”. Ed bowed quickly and left the room without a noise in his cat-like walk.

Harry reviewed some letters he had received from his generals from the north and went to bed. The situation in Scotland, though still choppy, seemed to calm down. Harry hoped he wouldn’t have to let the army intervene. He knew they already weren’t very popular among the people of the north. They didn’t need to fill the hate with another war.

In the morning, when Louis passed Harry in a corridor while he was going to church, he became as purple as his tunic. The alpha just sent him a satisfied glare. Louis kept his colors during the whole Sunday mass; especially at confess where he found himself stuttering the events from the day before. The priest took pity of him and interrupted:

“Are you still virgin my son?  
“Oh yes yes. We didn’t… do that” Louis whispered  
“then there is no sin my prince. You need your maidenhead for the wedding. The rest is just you obeying your alpha as you should. You can go blessed my son”.

The rest of the morning was laborious. Louis was at the veranda with Eleanor and some ladies. He was painting watercolors when Harry came looking very happy with himself.  
“Louis, I was looking for you! I found a painter: my dear friend Cal Aurand, the Danish Master. He is in for a visit and agreed to make portraits of you. He is actually quite curious to see you my love. The old fool always brags about being the painter of Europe’s most beautiful people. But his collection wouldn’t be complete without you!”

“Should I come now?”Louis asked hesitant

“Yeah yeah now” he motioned with his hands for Louis to get up.

Eleanor turned around “I will come as well. Surely your master’s collection of beauty wouldn’t be complete. He didn’t paint me either.” Harry chuckled and bowed low, whirling his hand excessively like in vaudevilles.  
“No it wouldn’t my queen” he laughed.

They arrived in Louis’ chamber and Harry began to rummage in Louis’ clothes.  
“Louise! Louise!” the maid arrived in a hurry. “Your highness?”  
“I want Louis in the outfit he wore two days ago at dinner. The dark blue and white one, very French with the hat. And I also want another outfit. An afternoon one, to wear in the garden. Maybe light green or ochre. Find something cute.”

Louis and Eleanor ended posing for the rest of the morning both strapped in their springy outfit. The queen was holding her umbrella gracefully in one hand, the other holding a single pink rose that matched her light pink skirts and green bodice. Her position was probably uncomfortable but she didn’t complain once, keeping her blinding smile. Louis on the contrary didn’t stop whining. His left arm was beyond tired by dint of holding it in the air (the master wanted to add a parrot on his arm in the painting) and it was more and more difficult for him to stay still.  
Master Aurand agreed to paint two more pieces for the Queen and Louis to have a picture together. He even agreed to add Henri quickly when he would pose for him so they get a family portrait. 

They were in the flower garden and could hear the court getting ready for the hunt, near the stalls.  
Servants had taken the hounds out. The pack was wriggling excitedly, yapping, barking, groaning. The horses were noisy as well, excited by the prospect and the proximity of the dogs. The cousins could see at least fifty gentlemen chatting and smoking in their hunting costumes, their servant next to them carrying the weapons, wineskins and mantles.  
Other servants were trying their horns or letting the dogs smell bloody fox skins to get them excited. In the middle of the whirlpool, Harry was flitting around, his whole black leather costume enhanced by the single vermillion feather of his hat. He basically looked ready to kill with his quiver and bow on one shoulder, a sword and dagger on each of his hips and a pistol at his waist. Louis forgot to breathe for a second. 

The prince gracefully jogged towards them and swoop down on Louis. He embraced him rough- playfully and bit his lips.  
“Harry! My prince don’t disturb my models!” the painter whined. The alpha ignored him.

“So we are going soon. I probably will see you only tomorrow. Tonight we are staying at the royal hunting pavilion. You be good my prince” he smiled fondly.

“Harry,” the little omega squeaked “Eleanor and your siblings are going to town this afternoon, to the market and tonight at the Comedy. May I go with them?”

Harry looked hesitant. “Louis don’t you want to wait? I can go with you all tomorrow. Prince Henri could join as well. And don’t forget the doctor said you shouldn’t do too much”

“Oh please your highness” Eleanor intervened. “Your mother already gave her assent, everything is organized. Ambassador Malik will be our chaperon. We could go with you another day as well. But we really would like to see the market. Louis will be careful of course and with us all the time”.

“Well… so be it” the alpha finally let out. “But take Paul Higgins with you. He is the head of security. And take ten royal guards”. He gestured to a maid to come and sent her inform Sir Higgins. “Have fun in town”. He pecked Louis’ hand “My prince” and bowed before Eleanor “Madame”. 

When he passed the master, he flashed a glance at the painting. “I hope it gets better Maestro, I am not paying for a daub” he stuck his tongue out. Master Aurand shrugged.  
“You go hunt my prince. Clearly you are no art expert” he said jokingly.

The king climbed on his horse and began to ride, quickly followed by the lords and servants. The pack was let loose as well and raced in front of the horses. Harry run to the stalls and jumped on his stallion, quickly catching up with the party.

After yet another hour of posing, the master released them. Now that he had all the sketches and drafts he needed, he could apply the colours without the models and would need them to pose again only for the finish. They ate a quick cold lunch and soon were piling up in a carriage with the twins and Lord Malik. Danielle and another maid were there as well carrying big baskets, in case they bought something. They left the castle led by four royal guards. Four others were following them, with two others on each side of the carriage. Lord Higgins was at the front shouting to the passers-by to make way. 

The market was lovely. Eleanor purchased so many things it was actually funny.  
“Don’t laugh” the Queen repeated to the young princes. “I am buried in my court in the countryside and never get to travel! We don’t have great markets like this in Brittany”. She was over the moon, going from one stand to the other and enthusiastically talking to the merchants. Handkerchiefs, doilies, statuettes, icons, poetry books, combs, hairclips, shawls, rosaries, drawings, feathers… were piling up in the baskets. 

Louis only bought a new quill and some ink of a beautiful orange colour, Gemma some hairclips and gloves; and Niall just kept eating all the time. The queen and the ambassador seemed to get along really well; him leading her to stands that he knew she would like.  
Lord Higgins seemed bored out of his mind but kept ensuring the safety perimeter around the royals was big enough. The other guards just weighed up the crowd in search of a potential danger. It turned out ten guards weren’t too much. The crowd was enthusiastic and wanted to see the royals. Lots of people gathered around them, trying to catch a glance of the future prince of England or the beautiful queen of Brittany. 

The market became so crowded that they finally had to leave, surrounded by the curious plebs. They found refuge in a small inn where they were served hot cider, ham and brioche by a very shaky publican. The old woman had never seen any royal, even less served them at her tavern. She nearly collapsed when Eleanor left a gold coin tip for their 6 pence meal.

They arrived at the Comedy very early, to get installed without creating a riot. They were placed at the central balcony and Louis could feel everyone in the pit and at other balconies watching them as much as the play. They all laughed a lot, it was a lovely evening. At the end of the show they stayed in their box until the theatre was clear. Escorted by the guards they finally left to go back to their carriage.

However, something went very wrong. Louis was babbling to Niall about how the husband in the play was hilarious when he heard a big blast. One of the guards next to him fell on the floor and the little prince was spattered with something warm and slimy.  
He had one second to look down at his hands and see the liquid was red. Chaos ensued.  
The guards formed a protective cocoon around the royals. Someone grabbed Louis and violently projected him on the floor. Another boom followed, people were screaming. Louis recognized Zayn’s voice telling him to keep his head low.  
Suddenly he felt a crash on his left side. Someone had jumped on one guard there and they were fighting hand to hand. He heard a third detonation and another guard fell down, just in front of him. He could see the expression on his face, a mix of pain and surprise, while he was dying.  
Someone covered Louis’ hand with their trembling one. He looked up and was faced with a ghostly Niall. The confusion was extreme.  
Most of the guards were sword fighting with hooded assailants. Some others, crossbows in hands, were trying to spot the snipers. 

Gemma let out a horrible scream. One of the attackers had grabbed her hair and was pulling her to him. Louis saw Eleanor jump on her feet and charge at the man. He had to wrestle with both of them for a few seconds. Finally he let go of Gemma and harshly pushed her on the ground before violently slapping the queen. She lost her balance and that gave him time to grab her neck, holding a big knife on the other hand. Everything happened so quickly, Louis didn’t have time to react. He saw the man bring the blade closer and closer to Eleanor’s chest and the Queen struggling against his strength with all she had.  
Zayn emerged from nowhere and caught the attacker’s arm. The queen was still wrestling, strangled by the man. She managed to break free and conjoined her efforts to Zayn’s. The ambassador finally snatched the knife and sliced the assailant’ throat. The man fell on the floor with a disgusting gurgle. 

They heard another detonation and the guards with the crossbows shot at a roof. Two men fell on the ground, there body crashing in a horrible crack. Neighbours were screaming now. Someone was ringing the bell on the street lamps to warn the night-watchmen of a crime. Louis felt an attacker grasp his ankle and pull him out of the circle. Niall tried to pull him back, holding his hand with all his strengths. They both cried out begging for help.  
Niall let go of his hand at a big jolt. Louis tried to hold to the pavement, anything. But he could catch only air and was dragged rougher and rougher. His vision got blurry with tears. It was a nightmare. 

Suddenly he felt the pulling had stopped and heard an animalistic howl. He turned around to see the arm still around his ankle. But it wasn’t attached to any body. Lord Higgins was fighting with the one armed man and soon ran him through with his sword. Louis jerked his leg with panic, trying to get rid of the arm. Higgins grabbed Louis and pushed him behind his back, protecting the prince with his large body. 

The royal guards had the advantage now that they had taken the snipers down. Eleanor and the twins were behind Zayn and two guards who were fighting only one hooded man. They had lost four guards and the remaining four were each crossing sword with one enemy. Higgins retreated towards the other royals. All of a sudden, the big man groaned loud. One attacker had thrown his dagger at him and stabbed him in the shoulder. He pulled it out grunting and threw it back, stabbing the man in between his two eyes. His companion killed a guard with a lunge of his sword and jumped on the Lord. Higgins pushed Louis “run my prince” and wrestled with the man. 

Louis rushed towards Zayn and the guards and they rushed towards him.  
-“Louis! Behind you!” Eleanor screamed panicked

The omega glanced behind his shoulder and avoided a blade in extremis. He tripped and fell on the hard pavement. All the air left his lungs and he felt a horrible burn on the left side of his neck. He turned his head just a few centimetres to see a sword there between his head and shoulder. He was so lucky it just slightly cut on the skin of his neck. A guard had rushed and run through the assailant with his blade, saving Louis. Lord Higgins shouted to the guard:  
“No! no! Don’t kill him!”

The guard stopped and took his sword out. The hooded man collapsed on the floor, badly wounded but alive. Lord Higgins picked up a shaking Louis from the ground and carried him in his arms.  
“Be sure to keep him alive” he ordered about the wounded assailant. The guard bent over him and pressed on the stab to stop the bleeding.  
“He will have to talk” Higgins growled menacing. 

He placed Louis in the carriage and Eleanor hugged him tight. Now that the adrenaline was vanishing, Louis found himself under shock. After such a sheltered life, being in the middle of so much blood and fury was unsettling to say the least. Gemma applied a hankie on his cut. She was pale but seemed more put together than Niall who was sniffling in Zayn’s arms. The night watchmen arrived and after a brief conversation with the Lord, they accepted to escort the carriage back to the castle alongside the remaining guards. Only one stayed with the undertaker to take care of the bodies. Lord Higgins took the wounded assailant on his horse and they left the carnage scene.

 

Ed was riding as fast as he could. The dark forest around him was dead silent and he could hear only his own jolted breathing and the hammering of the hoofs. He heard the music and drunken laughters before reaching sight of the hunting pavilion but was soon dismounting. His horse was fuming.  
Harry sat in the middle of the room, feet on a table, a maid servant on his lap, a cigarette in his mouth and drink in hand. They were playing dice. As soon as he noticed Ed, he froze. He pushed the girl and rushed to his henchman. His face was distorted with apprehension. The expression on the spy’s face had him sober up in an instant.

“What is it?” His voice was threatening, on full alpha mode.  
“Louis, the queen and your siblings, they were attacked my prince.” Harry tensed and looked absolutely frightened. “They are all safe” Ed added quickly. “Lord Higgins brought them back to the castle safe and sound. We lost five guards though. It was an ambush at the exit of the theatre.”

The glass in Harry’s hand broke because he was crushing it too hard. The prince didn’t even flinch and threw the remains on the floor. His expression was unreadable.  
“Go inform my father, I will find Henri” the alpha just said. His eyes were dark and shining with absolute rage. He ripped through the joyful crowd, pushing people unceremoniously. 

He found Henri in a corner, making out with some stable boy. The French prince was a lot drunker than Harry. It took him a few moments to process the information but soon he was on feet, enraged and swearing like a trooper. They met the King and a few of his advisers outside and rode back to the castle.

Harry’s head was spinning with rage and absolute hatred. Who did that? Who planned the ambush? Who dared to attack his siblings, guests and fiancé? He would have blood for that. He was going down the corridor with huge incensed strides, the French prince on his hills. The king went to the twins apartments while the two alphas rushed to Louis’ chambers. 

The little omega was sat on his bed, big blankets around him and drinking the calming infusion the doctor had prescribed. His hair has still a bit wet from the boiling bath he took to get rid of the blood. Eleanor was at his side, drinking as well, Louise braiding her hair. Harry rushed to Louis and touched him everywhere, like to assess he was definitely fine. Henri hugged Eleanor lovingly, frowning at the clear choking bruises on her neck.  
“You are all right my dear?” he asked softly. She just nodded.

Harry inclined Louis’ head on the side, exposing his cut more. He growled low and menacing and licked the wound. He knew his alpha saliva would help it heal. Both Henri and Eleanor looked away before such an intimate gesture. Louis sighed; the touch of the alpha soothed him. The little prince and the queen were both very pale and looked exhausted. Harry fondled Louis’ shoulders, hugging him tight, inhaling his scent.

“Don’t worry we will find who did that and they will pay” the English prince said to nobody in particular. “Now you two get some rest. You are safe here. We will talk more tomorrow.”  
He brushed his lips against his fiancé and embraced Eleanor as well. They left the room, posting guards at the door and went to the twins apartments. 

The queen was on the bed with Niall on her lap and Gemma wrapped on her side. This made Harry give a faint smile. Although Niall was an exuberant little show-off, he was the family’s baby. Gemma was the tough one.  
The king was talking to Zayn and a guard in a corner. The French prince joined them and Harry went to sit next to his mother, embracing and kissing his siblings expensively. 

The men left soon and got to Lord Higgins’ apartments to hold council. He was receiving treatment for his wound at the shoulder, and a nurse was cleaning a bad cut he had on one leg. Ed silently sat on a desk, cleaning his nails with the tip of his blade.

“Then my Lord, please explain” the King hurried him.  
“When we exited the theatre and before we could reach the coach, we got attacked by around twenty men. They were armed with swords but also arquebuses. Snipers fired at us from the roofs. We managed to escape and their Highnesses were not hurt thanks to the Lord. It was a planed ambush my King. These men were trained and well equipped. They knew we were there and probably were informed beforehand.”

“This is a personal attack towards our family” thundered Harry. “How dare they provoke us in such way? Who would do such a thing?!”  
“We killed them all but one” Paul Higgins added. “He is quite badly injured however the doctors saw him and said his life wasn’t in danger anymore. He is in the dungeons now.”

The king turned to Ed. “Make him talk” he said sinister. “I want names, dates, places, reasons. Who is the mastermind, if there were middlemen, who informed them, if we have spies in the castle, if other attacks are planned. Don’t stop until you know everything.”

Ed sent him the shadow of a sinister smile. “He will be singing like a nightingale your Highness”

“These bastards will meet our wrath” Harry grunted under his breath. He left following his henchman and pushed him in a corner.  
“Ed, send your informers snoop around in markets and taverns. Make them listen to the rumors. What do people say about the attack? Surely someone knows something, someone saw something. I want the culprits, I will bloody kill them all with my bare hands”. 

At that moment, even Ed feared the prince.


	9. Chapter IX

After the attack, the atmosphere at the castle changed completely. Security was increased. Whatever he did, Louis was always followed by two guards.  
He barely saw Harry, who was always busy, holding council with the king, security and his henchman or out on some mysterious business. Sometimes in the evening he came to Louis’ chamber, put him on his lap and hugged him tight, breathing against his hair. The little omega completely gave himself over to the embrace.  
But he craved Harry more. He clung to the alpha as hard as he could. He needed him. They didn’t speak much and never about the attack. 

Louis and Eleanor posed for Master Aurand again. Henri as well. The paintings were finished within the week but they couldn’t see them yet. The painter decided it would be his wedding gifts.  
During the day, Louis now attended dance classes with the royal master of ceremonies. He was a kind handsome beta named Ben Winston. Louis felt himself relax during the classes and enjoying the man’s cheerful company very much.  
He was in charge of organizing the wedding and clearly was passionate about his job. He explained all his choices to Louis and together they selected the music for the waltzes. Louis also asked that his bouquet consisted of white and golden lilies, to remind of the fleur-de-lis, emblem of the French monarchy.  
They worked on the table arrangements for the reception and Louis realized he didn’t know more than half of the attendees. Nevertheless, it kept him busy, preventing him to think too much about the attack. It also got him actually excited for the wedding. It was going to be a fantastic party. Eleanor, Henri, the twins and often the Queen attended the lessons as well, waltzing along his side and making suggestions.

Going back to visit the city was now off the agenda. But Eleanor really wanted to hear the prodigy opera singer. She persuaded the Queen and it was arranged the London Opera would perform a private show at the castle on the week end. Louis couldn’t help but feel a twinge of apprehension in his stomach. The weekend after that, he would be married.

The Queen still held court but it was limited to the close friends of the family. Everybody only talked about the attack, each giving their opinion. The most widespread was the Danes were behind the scheme. But a lot of people were thinking about the Scots as well or wondering if the Irish had once again decided to break peace. Some people were gambling on ordinary bandits just wanting a ransom.  
Soon, the ambassadors from all Europe were flooding the palace asking audience to present their best wishes to the royals and renew the friendship of their country. 

Ireland sent as very special ambassador in the person of the Prince Josh himself. His arrival was the subject of all gossips. Surely it was a strong reassurance of peace. If Ireland was responsible, they wouldn’t send their prince to the court! Or would they? Irish were cunning and sly after all. After a private audience with the King, the prince was greeted with all honours and given apartments at the castle. He would stay and partake in the wedding.

Niall was overexcited. Since Prince Josh had arrived, he couldn’t speak of anything else. He had not seen his promised since they were young children. They had corresponded a bit the past few years, but mostly gallant letters, nothing really personal.

They first met at the Queen’s court. It was on Friday. Josh was first introduced to Eleanor, Henri then Louis. Finally, he turned towards the twins and smiled with his eyes to Niall. Louis knew that Niall was already melting.  
Prince Josh didn’t really look like an alpha. He was quite short with kind hazel eyes and a sweet easy smile. He was very muscular though and released an air of quiet confidence. He had one earlobe pierced, after the fashion of sailors and his costume consisted of a long green and gold coat hold at the waist by a leather belt that accentuated his fitness.  
Louis tried to hold his laughter back, feeling Niall nearly drooling beside him. Gemma was tensed however. She greeted the prince coldly. Her expression was unreadable, but from her attitude, Louis could see she didn’t like him. 

He frowned, addressing her a silent question. She ignored him. They made conversation for a bit and then left the couple on their own. Niall was literally glowing.

“What is it Gemma?” Louis whispered in the princess ear.  
“I don’t trust him that’s it. He just comes like nothing and Niall is head over hills for him in two seconds. But we don’t know anything from this prince.” Her voice was uncharacteristically bitter and snappish. “Niall is a big baby; he doesn’t know how to protect himself. He will probably spend all his time with him and tell him everything and… as his big sister, I just need to be careful.”

“Gemma, you are two minutes older than him” Louis was both amused and bemused. “And Prince Josh really seems like a nice person. He couldn’t harm Niall within the palace anyways”  
Gemma didn’t reply and grunted between her gritted teeth, frustrated.

She was right on one thing: Niall and Josh spent all their time together. They looked like an old married couple. Love and sweetness was dribbling from them. Every time Gemma was in the same room, she wore a badly dissimulated grimace. And she tried to avoid them as much as she could. Louis truly didn’t understand.

On Saturday afternoon, Louis was hanging out with Eleanor and Sir Winston in the exercise room. He was lying on the floor, very much not prince-likely. Niall was in the gardens with the Irish prince and Gemma was sulking in her chamber.

“What is it about Gemma? Why do you think she dislikes Prince Josh?” the omega asked to no one in particular. Eleanor laughed.

“Aww Louis my dear, princess Gemma is jealous.”

“Jealous?” It didn’t occur to Louis “How come? Why?”

“Well, she is used to spend all of her time with Niall. They are twins; it is a very special bond. Even deeper than brother and sister. She knows Josh will eventually take her brother away from her.”  
Louis thought about it a second. Poor Gemma that was so sad.

“Also I know that she is worried about her own future. She told me she hasn’t any suitors. So I think she is also jealous that her brother has a mate already. I mean they haven’t mated but they are betrothed.” The Queen added.

“She will come around” Sir Winston intervened. “She is a smart one, she knows Prince Josh is actually nice and makes Niall happy. It is just a bit hard to swallow I guess”.  
Louis promised himself to be extra nice and considerate to Gemma.

The prospect of the night was exciting everyone. The opera troupe was coming, giving a pretext for a big party. The Queen had decided that is would be the best way to lighten the atmosphere. The company was to perform their brand new success, a rendition of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. In consonance with the mythology theme of the opera, they were throwing a Greek party.

Louis and Eleanor had spent their whole morning in the big library, studying the garments of the time and finding inspiration for their costumes. Louis ended in a white toga, small gold belt at his waist and golden crown of laurel on his hair. Eleanor was wearing a very revealing pink Roman-inspired gown and several snake-shape bracelets on her arms. She let her curls loose in her back with only a very small tiara.  
Louise made them Spartan sandals and did their make up with kohl around the eyes in the Roman fashion. She also combed Louis so his fringe was pushed back in a wavy quiff on his forehead. They looked gorgeous. Sir Winston whistled when he saw them.

“Madame, if I didn’t know, I would think you are no other than Helen of Troy” Eleanor blushed a bit and Louis watched them suspiciously. He wondered if something was happening between them. Sir Winston did seem to pursue her company quite eagerly. 

They rushed into Harry and a bunch of men in a corridor. The men shamelessly leered at them. Harry dismissed them angrily and then faced the cousins only with Ed at his side. He checked Louis out appreciatively and even licked his lips. But when he spoke, his tone was slightly reproaching.

“Louis you shouldn’t wear this kind of costumes in public. I know we are in the castle and you are accompanied but still.” Louis blushed instantly.

“I… I am sorry Harry it is because… you know the Greek party” his voice was small and shaky. “We have to wear… costumes from the era you know…”

“oh… well” Harry didn’t continue. He had completely forgotten about his mother’s party. They all stared at each others for a few seconds.

“Are you going to attend?... The party? And the opera?” the omega asked, looking up to catch Harry’s eyes.

“Mmm, no, I have business to attend tonight” the alpha said lowly. His heart broke a little seeing the hopeful face of the omega fall into resignation. “You have fun” he embraced him and kissed his temple. He bowed his head to Eleanor and Sir Winston and left followed by Ed.

Harry only wished to attend the party and have fun and spend time with his family. But he was busy.  
The wounded assailant had spoken on the rack but he didn’t know much. Their gang had been contacted by a mysterious man they called Marcus. They didn’t see his face, he was wearing a leather mask the whole time and promised them gold to attack and either kill or abduct their victims.  
They didn’t know the targets were the royals and had no idea of the mastermind. Apparently Marcus had information from within but he didn’t know who.  
After two days of torture, Harry had him summarily executed. The information they had wasn’t enough however.  
This night, they were meeting one of Ed’s informers, who apparently had found something. The encounter was arranged at a small inn in the meatpacking district.

Seeing the court all dressed in Ancient style was actually really amusing. It cheered Louis up a bit from the deception of Harry not attending. He knew the alpha would have looked mesmerizing in a Greek toga. He actually already looked like a Greek god, so he wouldn’t have needed much work.

The opera was fantastic and the young singer was truly brilliant. His haute-contre voice was perfect for the role of Orpheus. Beyond his singing he was absolutely wonderful. Louis was grabbed by the story and forgot all about Harry’s upsetting absence.  
He cried a bit when Eurydice died for the second time but couldn’t blame Orpheus for turning over. Henri and Eleanor gently made fun of him. 

The party afterwards was a success. People were eating grapes on fainting sofas like true centurions. Musicians were playing the lyre while young dancers danced pagan numbers. The man servants wore fake gladiator armours. The cuisine was inspired by Mediterranean dishes and the chefs kept shouting: “Come and try our Ambrosia. My ladies, my lords. This is the food of the gods themselves. Ambrosia for everyone!” Bartenders dressed like Dionysus were addressing the crowd as well “Nectar, Nectar for everybody. The drink of the gods!” 

Louis drank his peach nectar observing the spectacle. He even tried out the hydromel that Niall had managed to sneak out. It made him tipsy pretty quickly. The colors, the music, the food, the atmosphere, everything was lovely. Louis was having a wonderful time. He danced a bit with the pagan dancers and soon found himself facing the young opera star.

“Prince Louis it is an honour to meet you and a privilege to have performed before you” his voice was different than when he sung, lower and a bit raspier. It sent chills along Louis’ spine. It was nothing like Harry’s deep deep voice, but it was still nice.

“Please my Lord. The honour was for us to listen to you. You are a gift to our country.” Louis said easily. He couldn’t help his grin, he was cheerful and drunk. “To whom do I have the pleasure?”

“My name is Aiden. Aiden Grimshaw my Prince.”

“Aiden Grimshaw, would you grant me a dance? I surely wish to dance with tonight’s hero!”

The young singer seemed surprised but accepted happily and they both swayed to the music. At one moment Henri came and asked:  
“Louis would you dance with your old forsaken brother?” The young prince laughed and jumped on the alpha. He tried to settle for a three-way dance in some kind of round-dancing but Henri gently pulled him away. He whispered:  
“You danced with him enough Louis. People are beginning to talk”. Louis was astounded. Him dancing for a few minutes with a guest of honor was making people talk? Really, they had nothing to do. He felt a bit irritated with such stupid scrutiny but soon relaxed again. He didn’t want to let it spoil his mood. 

After dinner, they organized “Olympic games”. They had to form teams to perform such things as racing around the room, finding hidden objects, throwing balls in between circles or answering enigmas… It was so much fun and Louis’ team arrived second. Louis’ head was still spinning a bit with alcohol and excitement so he wasn’t sure if he imagined it or not, but he felt the young tenor’s glare on him more than once. He felt fuzzy and warm each time, quite liking the attention.  
The little omega went to bed content and slept well for the first time since the attack.

Harry breathed heavily once again and adjusted his hood. The informer was one hour late now. In front of him, Ed was playing with the food on his plate. As usual, the ginger man wasn’t very chatty. The prince took a sip of his beer. The liquid was tepid now. Harry was drinking it very slowly, not wanting to be drunk in case it was a trap. 

A tall and scary man came and sat at their table. He was pushing another man, younger and looking quite wealthy and forced him to sit down as well. Ed spoke first.

“Is this a joke?” he grunted to the scary man. Harry was lost. He thought he recognized the younger man but couldn’t recall where from. Ed motioned to the younger man with his chin.

“He is the one who heard something” the man replied. Ed turned to Harry

“This is the Lord of Brighton my Lord”. Then younger man bowed his head quickly. “Stanley Lucas my lord, at your service.” His tone was borderline mocking.  
Harry saw red. This lord had turned around his brother and made him drink and now was mocking him.

“Careful my Lord Brighton, watch your tone. I know the last time Ed visited you wasn’t very pleasant”. Stanley Lucas smiled stiffly, remembering Ed’s visit regarding the prince’s brother. He had beaten him up and threatened to kill him if he came close to the young royals again. It definitely wasn’t a pleasant memory. And the spy was watching him right now, eyes pouring ferocity and lips distorted in a disgusted rictus. Stanley avoided his sight.

“I have information my Lord” he said looking Harry in the eyes.

“And you are willing to help why?”

“I am willing to help because you are the prince and future king of England.” He said simply.

“Now you spill it out” Ed suddenly snapped. He grabbed Stanley’s collar and fixed him menacingly. “It is not a fucking game so you tell what you want”  
Lucas was frightened now, Harry could see it, smell it. He gave a satisfied smile to Ed. 

“I want privileges.” The man whispered while Ed was still holding him. “I want to be in your good graces. Gain land, money, titles.” 

Harry snorted. “Let’s hear what you got. Then we will see for the good graces”  
Ed let go of him and the Lord of Brighton cleared his throat before speaking.

“I played dice with a man a bit before the attack on your family. We got quite drunk and he lost lots. He also talked lots. He told me he was some kind of mercenary and was on a case that was gonna make him win big. He had to kidnap some people.”

“And when he told you that, you didn’t think about contacting the police?” Harry interrupted disgusted. Stanley shook his head.

“Pff my prince you know if I had to call the police each time someone sleazy with a shady story was gambling at a pub, I would never do anything else. Anyway I had no proof, half of the time, these people are born liars. I made the connection with your family only once I heard about the attack. But I remember he said something else about the thing. He said he got only a very small advance and that he would be paid only after the job. And he said that’s because, and I quote, those fucking thistles are more cheapskate than Jews.”

There was a small heavy silence. Everybody let it sink.

“Thistles” Harry repeated “the Scots, fucking hell. It is a declaration of war”

“And there were rumours that a female warrior with black hair and cinnamon skin colour was in town last week.” The other man, the scary one added. He crossed eyes with Ed.

“That would be Lady Michelle? Isn’t it?” the ginger man asked and the other just nodded.

“Who is that” Harry interrupted.

“She is a female Viking warrior, said to be the descendant of Attila the Hun himself. And she is the favourite of Cara…” 

“The princess of the Scottish tribes” Harry finished. “That bitch!” he fumed out loud. A few people threw them curious looks.


	10. Chapter X

They emitted a warrant of arrest for both Princess Cara of the Scots, Lady Michelle and a middleman called Marcus. They were offering 500 gold coins to whoever would bring them to London and deliver them to the King. The posters were distributed quickly all around the kingdom, the word of mouth spread even faster. 

In London, all the known Scottish sympathisers, or anyone remotely linked to Scotland, got extensively questioned, in doubt arrested. Harry wanted to dismantle any possible revolutionary ring. His temper got more and more tempestuous. He sometimes felt he was possessed by fury itself.

The military presence in Scotland got increased even more. The witch hunt for Cara was led by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, General-in-chief of the Royal Armies. For now they hadn’t found the princess. They even faced non-disguised disdain from a big part of the population. While greatly encouraged to help the army and snitch on the princess, people of the north remained silent. 

The news were actually very worrying. Beyond the passive silent rebellion of the people, an organized and armed rebellion was apparently taking form. Spies from Ed’s web reported of an alleged alliance between the Scottish tribes and the Danes, maybe even the Scandinavians. The King, Harry and their advisors were expecting the worst. They were preparing for war.

 

Meanwhile life was going on at the castle. Louis was attending court, hanging out with Eleanor, Henri, the twins and the Irish Prince. He was still dancing with Sir Winston, still closely followed by two guards anywhere he went. But there were a big changes. First, Louis was hardly seeing Harry. And when they met around the castle, their exchange was always brief and Louis was shocked by the prince’s darkness and the violent fury exuding from him. The omega was only now taking stock of Harry’s dark side.

Secondly, the Queen had taken a liking in the opera company and offered them residence at the palace, promoting them “Royal Opera”. Louis hence found himself spending time with Aiden. The singer was only fifteen and fit straight away in their group. He was a beta, charming and facetious. Louis liked him a lot. 

Every time they were together, the little prince could feel Henri closely monitoring their interactions. How many times they spoke to each other, how close they stood, if they laughed or touched. Louis didn’t understand why his brother seemed so preoccupied by his friendship with the young tenor. 

The day of the wedding came fast. Louis woke up on Saturday morning. Harry was sat on the side of his bed, watching him. His face was soft and pensive. The opposite of the angry expression he bore all week. The omega watched on the other side of the bed quickly. Eleanor wasn’t there, probably already getting washed.

“Hello my husband” Harry said sweetly, realising he was awake.

“Hi Harry”. Louis was still sleepy. The alpha hovered over him and kissed him tenderly. He replied immediately. He had waited so long for Harry’s touch and attention. It was so good. It had to last longer. 

“You’re alright love? Ready for the big day?”

“Yes. I… I want to be yours.” Louis felt shy. He didn’t know how to explain. Harry sighed like he was under water and pressed their forehead together.

“You are so lovely. You know that right? I couldn’t have been luckier. Even in my wildest dreams, you have no match” Harry’s voice was slow and raspy. A bit emotional. He wanted Louis to understand how much he cared for him. Louis’ cheek got a bit pink.  
“You should get up my love. Get ready to mesmerise your audience.”

Louis and Danielle washed him with only the most expensive soaps and moisturised his skin with the most precious unguents. They applied a bit of blusher on his cheeks to cover his pallor since his apprehension had altered the usual golden of his complexion. When he was all set in his radiant outfit, his flowery crown on his hair, Eleanor couldn’t help but shed a few tears.

“You are so lovely cousin. Look at you Lou, all grown up and getting married”. She was happy for him, but also stricken by melancholy.  
She remembered their days at the convent when they both were so innocent and clueless about the outside world. How they sometimes sneaked out and slept in the same bed, imagining their future lives and daydreaming about their husbands. And now they were here Queen and future King, head of great countries and trapped in lives of responsibilities and scrutiny.  
It also reminded her of her own disappointing marriage. Admittedly she had found a balance in her life and a satisfying arrangement with her husband, but she wished for Louis to find more love and happiness within his marriage than she had.

It was a wedding under maximum security. Royal guards were everywhere in the city. The surroundings of St Paul Cathedral were completely locked for anyone without an invitation. Any incident would be a catastrophe, especially considering the number of eminent guests attending from all corners of Europe. The castle and the whole city were seething with excitement. Servants were all whispering about the famous guests and their costumes. It was the greatest who’s who London had known for a while. 

It was said the Russian ambassador had borrowed clothes from the Tsar himself to showcase the richness of their great country.  
It was said the Duke of Milan, the Duke of Savoy and the Prince of Venezia, all attending and all archenemies, requested to be sat as far as possible from each other.  
It was said the Queen of Navarre had more lovers than she had dogs – which meant a lot- and that her husband was too old and too interested in young stable boys to care. All corners, all corridors, all alleys were a frenzy of whispers and rumours. 

But the biggest of them all was caused by the surprise attendance of the scandalous Byzantine Princess, favourite of the Queen of France. Maids were swearing they saw her, carried on a bed in the Roman style. Man servants couldn’t keep quiet and exclaimed they never saw such beauty. Guards gushed about the incredible luxury of her belongings, how one of her rings probably coasted a wing of the London castle. Everyone was wondering why she came, exposing the most extravagant guesses.

The journey to the cathedral was quiet and tensed. Louis was crushing Eleanor’s hand in his own. His maids and Liam Payne, the French ambassador were also with them in the carriage. When they arrived they were rushed inside and led to a side room where Henri and some young pages waited. Louise and Danielle rearranged the prince’s outfit and hair for the last time before leaving. Eleanor gave him a bone crushing embrace and whispered in his ear “Good luck Lou. You are going to be alright”. She left with Liam to take their seat in the cathedral.  
Henri came close and gave him his lilies bouquet. They heard the altar-boys choir start the Ave Maria.

“It is time. You ready?” Henri asked gently. Louis couldn’t answer, his throat was too tight. He managed to node and Henri presented his arm for Louis to grab. The doors opened and they began their progress to the altar.  
Louis’ mind went blank. He felt all eyes on him but couldn’t process it. He just knew he had to keep walking. He met the benevolent look of Niall and Gemma and saw Eleanor sending him a bright encouraging smile. But he couldn’t feel anything he was just completely numb.  
They finally arrived at the altar and Henri gently took Louis’ hand of his arm. The little omega was clinging to him for his dear life without knowing it. Only then he noticed Harry who was there, just in front of him, looking at him with hungry eyes. Henri moved aside next to Zayn Malick to take his place as best man.  
Harry took Louis’ hand and pulled him gently towards him. They faced the Abbott of Westminster, who had made the trip especially for the wedding. Louis couldn’t focus on what the churchman was saying and didn’t understand anything. He was still drowning in his own head, completely numb. He heard Harry say “I do” though and a few moments afterwards, he felt a small pressure on his hand. Harry was tightening his grip on him. He looked up and saw Harry looking at him smiling expectedly. He guessed he probably had to speak.

“I do” 

Zayn moved forwards and gave the wedding ring to Harry, who put it on Louis’s finger before kissing his hand. Louis did the same to Harry’s enormous hands. 

“It is done!” the Abbot erupted and Louis jumped in fear. “You may kiss the bridegroom” 

The pages threw a light embroidered veil over their heads and they kissed under it. Harry sighed into the kiss and pulled of smiling bright. The pages removed the veil and put a velvet cushion at Louis’ feet. The alpha pushed him gently towards the floor and Louis kneeled down on the cushion before Harry. Zayn gave the prince the crown of the prince consort. Harry raised it above his head for the audience to see. The Abbott spoke loud:

“By this wedding you are now, most gracious Louis of France, becoming the prince consort of Harry of England, son of King Des of England and Queen Anne of England and future King of our beloved country.” Harry carefully put the crown on his head and helped him get up. They faced the audience that erupted in loud cheers and Harry led Louis down the aisle under a shower of flower petals and grains of rice.

During the afternoon reception, Louis was still a bit groggy. Several white tents were installed in the royal gardens and entire lambs were roasting on the spits. A chamber orchestra was playing joyful minuets and minstrels and dancers entertained the guests.  
It was a beautiful sunny day. The clement May weather seemed to add to the cheerful atmosphere. Louis sat next to Harry for the most part, receiving their wedding presents and greeting all the eminent guests.  
Harry, who felt Louis’ state, didn’t let go of his hand for the whole afternoon. At sunset, the Royal Opera presented a little show, accompanied with ballet dancers. While on stage, Aiden smiled cheerfully at Louis and the prince couldn’t help but reciprocate.  
The end of the performance spelled the end of the garden party and the guests relocated inside for the wedding dinner and ball.

Louis didn’t eat much but regained a bit of livelihood. He joked with Eleanor and Henri who were at his right side. Harry was at his left, possessively grabbing his thigh and tracing patterns on his trousers’ fabric.  
At the end of the dinner the king proposed a toast and Louis and Harry crossed their arms and drank champagne from each other’s glass.  
After that, they opened the ball, dancing alone in the middle of the reception gallery. Louis felt like flying. They were swaying on the waltz he had chosen with Sir Winston. Harry was looking at him hungrily but reverently, like he was something to worship. He was also a fantastic dancer, leading Louis so naturally.  
They shut down the outside world completely and were lost in each other. If the room was burning they wouldn’t have noticed. At the end of the waltz, several other couples joined and the ball began. 

Louis and Harry danced two other waltzes before retreating to the side, near their table. Louis knew he would have to dance with a lot of the guests as well, as a thank you to their attendance. But he didn’t want to leave Harry’s side.  
Harry was glowing. He looked so happy. Louis’ heart nearly blew up from happiness because it had been such a long time the prince looked so young and joyful. These past few weeks he was always so worried and stormy. Harry kissed Louis behind his ears and even began to bite gently. Louis pushed him away with a giggle.

“No Harry no tickling please” he said delighted.

“Ahah and why not? My husband?” Harry said softly, slowing down on the word “husband”.

Louis didn’t get to respond because the music had stopped and the chamberlain was announcing the arrival of someone.

“Your Highnesses please meet the Byzantine princess of the blood, her Excellency Lady Kendalla”

Whispers broke around the audience. So that was true, the princess was well and truly there. And she was making quite the noteworthy entry. Grandiloquent indeed. One could even say she wanted to steal the show.  
She was wearing a sumptuous gown, purple and gold, embedded with precious stones. The outfit was borderline obscene, revealing more skin than it covered. Her skin was the color of warm honey and spread with gold glitters that made her sparkle in the light of the chandelier. Her dark hair was collected on the top of her head, in a complicated hairdo, retained by more jewels and more gemstones. The extreme richness of her garments was nearing tawdriness.  
She walked gracefully towards the King and bowed low before him. She was followed by four pages holding peacock feathers and by a huge mysterious box mounted on casters and covered with a velvety drape. 

“My Lady please stand up.” The King said, reaching for her hand. Louis caught her charcoal eyes and even he was stunned. She was truly breathtaking.

“It is a pleasure and honour to receive your most gracious person in our castle. Please meet my son Harry and his husband prince Louis”. The king directed her towards the newly-weds. Kendalla bowed again in front of Harry and Louis. The alpha mimicking his father, offered his hand to help her stand up.  
Louis caught her eyes again and didn’t like what he saw. She was eyeing Harry like he was a lamb and she was a wolf. Her posture and smile were confident and she was definitely shining like a star when it should have been Louis’ night. 

She ignored Louis and spoke. Her voice was sweet like syrup and without knowing why, Louis imagined her as one of those beautiful exotic plants that attracted insects using their sugary scent before trapping them and devouring them.

“I have a wedding present my prince. I wanted something that would honour your strength and courage but also match your legendary beauty.” She posed dramatically and smiled; flirting shamelessly “It fails to do the second though”. 

Harry didn’t really react first and then grabbed Louis’ hand. The omega didn’t know what to do. This flirting, the very evening of his marriage was a quite direct insult. He just tried to put up front.

“We thank you warmly your Highness” Harry simply said emotionless. Kendalla smiled again and turned around to face the box. She removed the drape, uncovering a white tiger in a golden cage. The audience gasped. Louis opened his mouth big. He had never seen a tiger apart from in his books. The beast was truly magnificent.

“It comes from the flatlands of Siberia, beyond the Ural Mountains, from the estate of my dear husband, the Count Isnikov.” 

The ball started again, the cage was taken by servants to another room and the floor was once again flooded with swirling couples. The princess walked around the room, introducing herself to the other guests and soon found dance partners that were watching her in absolute awe. Louis was also asked by several gentlemen and had to leave Harry’s side. He overheard Harry and Liam’s conversation though.

“I don’t know” the French ambassador was saying “I didn’t receive any notice from their Altesses of France. I didn’t know she was coming. She doesn’t represent France, in any case”.  
Louis watched the princess again. She was discussing with a Lord and suddenly smacked one of her pages that had touched her with his feather. Louis wondered what his mother had found appealing in this bitchy princess.

The ball continued until the early morning but Harry, Louis and their witnesses retired around one. Now was the moment Louis dreaded, the wedding consummation.  
Louis went back to his chamber were Louise and Danielle, took his clothes off and dressed him in nice silky night shirts and a green velvety dressing gown. They sprayed him with perfume and he stood there frozen, smelling of lilac and precious woods. Eleanor sneaked in the room and embraced him tight. She was holding a small flask. 

“Here Louis, drink that. Harry told me to give it to you.”

“What is it?” Louis didn’t recognize his voice and could clearly hear the terror in it.

“Peach schnapps, it will help you relax. Come on drink.”

Louis drank the burning liquid and coughed a little. It was stronger than anything he had drunk yet. He felt it going down his eosophagus. Eleanor pushed back a strand off his forehead and bored into his eyes.

“Good luck Lou. You’ll survive” she said with a small smile. She hugged him one last time and left back to the ball. 

Someone opened the connecting door to the nuptial bedroom and Louise motioned for the prince to go. He had never been in their common chamber. The room was huge, the bed as well. Harry was standing next to it only in his trousers.  
On the other side of the bedroom, Zayn, Liam, Henri, the King and the Abbott of Westminster sat behind a black see-through curtain. Louis felt he was panicking and tried to take deep breaths.  
It was Harry, he loved Harry, his husband. He tried to forget about the men sitting a few steps further and who were going to watch him. He needed to calm down.

It was the first time he saw Harry without a shirt on and that was a sight from heaven. He tried to focus on that. On how hot Harry was looking. How toned his chest was, how strong his abdominal muscles looked, poking out. Harry reached for him and smiled sweetly.

“Shhh Lou calm down. Look at me. You are ok.” Louis raised his eyes and met Harry’s tender ones. The alpha kissed him softly and untied the belt of his robe. It fell on the floor at their feet.  
Harry took Louis’ hand and led him to the bed lying him down. He came on top of him and kissed him again and played with the bottoms of his shirts. He lifted them up, baring the omega more and more before taking it off completely and throwing it on the floor next to the dressing gown. 

Louis was now completely naked under Harry and very tensed. He liked the weight of Harry on top of him and the contact of their bare chests but he couldn’t relax knowing what was coming.  
Harry sighed and resumed to kiss him putting more intent into it. He was caressing Louis’ skin as well. Tracing his sides, his stomach, his biceps, his hips. He was tender but hungry at the same time. He trailed his neck with sweet kisses, nuzzling there. He also began to bite a bit, scratching his teeth against the delicate collar bones. 

He went down and took a nipple in his mouth, nibbling at it and licking around it. He felt it become hard under his tongue and passed to the second one. Louis’ breathing itched a bit. He closed his eyes and tried to give in to the sensation. Harry was caressing the inside of his tights now, still kissing and biting all over his chest.  
The alpha grabbed Louis’ cock and began to stroke it lightly. He went back up to face Louis and kiss him forcefully again, with his hand pulling at his shaft.  
He took his hand off abruptly and spat in it before resuming stroking him. Now that it was wet, he pumped a bit harder, his thumb playing with the foreskin and pressing around the slit. 

Louis felt his heart rate accelerating and his breath heavier. In spite of his fear, Harry’s touches felt good; made him grow excited. His dick was half hard. He raised his hands that were uselessly placed on the bed and touched Harry as well. He wandered his fingers against Harry’s hot skin. He massaged the alpha’s shoulders and back and put one hand in between their chest to play with his nipples. He even hazarded onto Harry’s stomach, feeling the hard muscles under his palm. 

Harry tensed up and sighed in his mouth. That was actually really hot. Louis let out a small mewl. Harry was growing very hard and very uncomfortable in his trousers. Although hesitant, timid and unsure, Louis’ tentative touches were driving him crazy. He pulled out a bit to undo his trousers and slide them off.  
He began grinding against the petite prince. His huge alpha cock sliding against Louis’. The omega was still only semi hard whereas Harry’s prick was swollen, dark and angry, leaking precome. Harry went back to tossing Louis off. But even after several minutes, Louis was still half hard. He was too stressed out to actually give in, couldn’t enjoy the pleasure completely. 

Harry knew he had to get down to business but without Louis hard it would be even tougher. He stretched his arm to the bedside table and grabbed the small phial containing oil. He applied some on his fingers under Louis’ terrified glare. Harry kissed him again. The omega looked so teeny, so young and so vulnerable his heart broke. 

“Ok Lou, I want you to concentrate on me, only me.” He pumped him a couple of times more with his slicked hand and played with his balls. He kept going further down and arrived at his hole. He traced the rim with his fingers, applying the smallest of pressure. He felt Louis tense up, getting even tighter. That wasn’t good.  
Harry kissed him again, hard and heavy to distract him while he was trying to push one finger inside. But Louis was so tensed that he couldn’t go past the rim.

“Fucking hell” Harry grunted. He didn’t want to harm the omega but he was gonna have to force entrance. Louis was breathing heavily, eyes closed and face distorted with fear. Harry kissed him once again but the little prince didn’t even respond. He was like frozen.

“Ok Louis, turn around”. Harry thought the position may be easier. Besides, for him, not seeing Louis’ frightened expression would probably be a relief. Louis shook his head and begged softly.

“No Harry please, I can’t. I can’t please. I am sorry.” He opened his eyes and tears fell down along his cheeks.

“Shhh come on Louis, on your hands and knees”. Harry flipped him up and pulled his hips up to place him on all four. He could hear Louis crying and sniffling in silence. He oiled his fingers again and went back to circling his hole, using his other hand to pull the cheeks apart.  
Louis tightened and tried to resist but Harry forcefully pushed his forefinger in this time. He was in to the knuckle. Louis hissed and trembled in pain. Harry tried to wriggle his finger to loosen Louis up a bit. It didn’t work and seemed to make him tense up even more.  
With his other hand he grabbed Louis’ cock and pumped it several times to try to keep it hard. It didn’t seem to work either. Everything was just going awfully. 

Harry pushed his finger further in Louis’ ass and began to thrust it back and forth. From the omega’s body reactions he knew Louis was hurting. The little prince was so tight. After a few minutes, Harry added his middle finger and pushed back in. Louis moaned in pain, his whole body shuddered. The alpha tried to ignore it and began to take his fingers in and out, widening them and scissoring them to loosen the hole as much as possible. He was also thrusting deep to get Louis used to the sensation.  
The omega was silently crying, letting Harry do what he had to do. Harry crooked his fingers and sped up his thrusts. He was fingering Louis vigorously now and the omega’s arms were shaking. 

He added a third finger and thrusted all the way back in. The pain made Louis’ arms give up and he fell, face against the pillow. Harry maintained his bum up in the air though and kept fingering him quickly. In spite of his efforts to keep him hard, Louis’ cock had completely softened now.  
The alpha was a bit nauseous, thinking about what he was going to do. But at the same time, he couldn’t deny we was still rock hard against his stomach and leaking. Louis was in front of him, naked. 

And his. 

He was so gorgeous and Harry had his fingers deep inside him. He just wanted to take him now. Pound relentlessly into his sweet, tight, warm ass. He took his fingers out. Louis was as loose as he would get given the circumstances.  
He took the phial of oil again and slicked his own cock, giving himself a few pumps. He grunted at the feeling, grabbed Louis hips and rutted against his ass a few time. He was going slow, sliding against the crack, sometimes catching the rim but without entering. 

Then he took hold of the base in one hand and positioned his dick at Louis’ entrance. He felt himself twitch and moaned low. He pushed his head inside with a roll of his hips and then pushed in, in one long, slow stroke. Louis had stopped shaking and was now completely still, mouth open in a silent scream.  
He knew it was going to be painful but he wasn’t prepared for that. The pain was everywhere. Unbearable. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t hear, he couldn’t really see either. He felt like he was split open, impaled on a beam or something, stabbed to the hilt.  
Harry bottomed out and stayed still trying to give Louis some time. Louis felt he was going to pass out. 

The alpha rolled his hips, giving the smallest thrust. Louis whined in pain. He rolled his hips again, now a bit bigger. Louis gritted his teeth. He was going to have to take it. It was going to finish eventually. He didn’t want to break down in front of the witnesses and most of all in front of Harry. So he grasped the sheets as tight as he could and just tried to keep quiet. Harry began to build a rhythm.  
Thanks to an incredible control, he managed to still go slow and relatively soft, when all he wanted was to pound into Louis with all he had. 

He saw Louis’ white knuckle clenching at the sheets and couldn’t take it. He pulled out, flipped the little prince around and put him on his back.  
If Louis was to suffer, he would suffer with him and at least try to reassure him with his eyes. Harry shoved his dick back inside of Louis and resumed his rhythm. Louis was crying silently and the alpha wiped his tears lovingly. He bent down to kiss the little prince’s face. He kissed his lips, nose, eyelids, chin, cheeks, and forehead. He tilted his head on the side to expose his neck and nuzzled there, softly biting at the skin that he would soon pierce.  
Louis seemed to relax a bit under Harry’s tender gestures. Or maybe it was just the fucking loosening him up. However he was still very much in pain and not enjoying any second of it. 

Harry sped up the rhythm. He wanted to finish quickly so that Louis wouldn’t suffer to long. He was now driving into him, hips snapping against Louis’ ass. The building pleasure made him lose his self control. He took hold of Louis’ ankles and pulled them up as well as apart to get more access and thrust deeper.  
His thrusts were punishing now, shoving Louis up on the mattress each time. Harry placed Louis legs on his shoulder and fell against him, bending him in two and pounding into him even deeper.  
Louis had his arms around the alpha’s shoulders and was holding there, pressing his nails into the flesh to avoid screaming in pain. His face was full of tears and snot, contorted in an awful grimace. Harry kissed him forcefully to try and wipe it off. 

He was close now. So close. He moved his lips to Louis’ neck and sank his teeth into the flesh until he tasted the metallic taste of blood. His dick twitched inside of Louis. The omega cried in pain and surprise when Harry bit him. He could feel the turmoil in his lower stomach and fucked Louis fast and hard, chasing his orgasm. He felt his knot pop and shoved it forcefully deep into the small omega. Louis screamed out loud and a voice said:

“Turn around. Put him on top of you”. It was the Abbott. 

Harry was shot back to reality. The reality where he was actually fucking his thirteen year old virgin husband in front of witnesses. He reacted quickly and did what he was told, lying on his back with Louis sat on his knot. Louis was shivering, crying a bit louder now.  
Harry felt his come pouring into the little omega’s ass, while his body was shaking due to the waves of pleasure. He tried to catch his breath and caressed Louis’ tights and hips, wanting to sooth him. He was still in orgasm haze when he noticed the presence. The Abbott, the King and Henri had crossed the curtain and were now next to them. Harry embraced Louis protectively and pulled him close to his chest, his dick still locked in his ass. 

“We are just going to do the regular inspection my Prince. That’s why I asked you to put him on top.” The Abbott said. He bent over and traced the bond mark on Louis’ neck with his fingers. The omega shivered and Harry growled threatening. 

“The bond is done. The bite is at its place and deep enough to bleed” the churchman stated. The king and Henri agreed.  
The Abbott now went to their bottom. He placed his finger on where Harry was penetrating Louis.

“The alpha took the omega’s virginity and they had sexual intercourse”.

He put his hands under Louis’ armpit and lifted him up in a jolt. Harry’s knot caught his rim and prevented it to pull out of his hole, they were still locked. The omega cried in pain and Harry immediately caught Louis’ sides and pulled him down, fighting the Abbott’s strength.

“The alpha climaxed and his knot swelled, locking the couple in the bonding position” the Abbott concluded. “The marriage is consummated and now unbreakable.”

The witnesses all agreed and retired to go sign the marriage contract. Louis and Harry were left alone. 

The alpha stroked the little prince gently, massaging his sides, the back of his neck and his shoulder blades. Louis was still whimpering a little. The older prince petted his hair and hold him close, waiting for his knot to go down.  
He kept whispering sweet praises in his ear. Louis was falling asleep on top of him now, knocked down by the pain and tension. When he felt he had softened enough, Harry lifted the omega from him and gently laid him down, put him on one side and spooned him tight bringing the comforter on top of them. He fell asleep quickly, feeling satisfied.


	11. Chapter XI

Louis woke up feeling warm and safe, trapped in a tight embrace. He felt Harry’s hot body in his back, hugging his own figure. The alpha’s arms were all around him. He felt a diffuse pain in his bum and on the side of his neck but that wasn’t too bad. He tried to remember the previous night in his sleepy daze and finally everything came rushing back.  
It had been absolutely awful. Louis tried to wriggle and then felt a staggering shot of pain in his ass. He couldn’t help but scream and Harry groaned and tightened his grip around him. 

Louis didn’t want to move anymore, didn’t want to feel that again. Harry was waking up slowly and he rolled Louis on his other side, so that the omega would face him. Louis cried out from the pain and Harry frowned. He pulled the little prince closer and kissed at his hair and forehead. Louis was nuzzled against his collar bones.

“Hey baby” Harry said in a sleepy voice. Louis could tell he wasn’t completely conscious. He also felt Harry’s dick hardening at his contact and the alpha rutting softly against him as a reflex. Louis braced himself, he hoped what happened yesterday wouldn’t happen again. Or at least not this morning, not that soon. Harry was sighing and moaning softly, still rubbing his hard on against Louis’ hips. He finally came awake completely and stopped but kept Louis impossibly close and pressed against his own body.

“You alright love? I am sorry I was too rough. I am sorry babe” Harry whispered.

“Its… it’s alright” Louis squeaked. He tried not to let his tears fall off. He felt so stupid; he had been so bad to Harry yesterday. Such a useless omega. But the night had been such a nightmare to him. “I am sorry I wasn’t what you wanted. I know I wasn’t good…” he throat was too tight to continue.

“shhhh” Harry said against his forehead “what are you talking about? You were perfect. I just wish you could have enjoyed it more”

Louis cringed at the memory and whimpered. Harry was caressing his skin now, petting his sides and going down to his bum. He carefully squeezed it and arrived at the crack. Louis held his breath. Harry just barely touched in between the cheeks, at the dried come that had leaked out of Louis during the night. 

“Come on let’s bath” he grunted. He pulled the bell rope at the head of the bead and Louis heard the bell ring in an adjacent room. A maid rushed in and Harry ordered for her to prepare the bath. Louis was still nuzzled into Harry and didn’t see anything. He didn’t want to move. He just wanted to stay there and never move again. He fought back the sobs that built up in his throat. He was hurting, he was ashamed, he was mortified. Not only had he been ridiculously bad for Harry but his own brother had witnessed the act. Seen him naked and taken and useless.  
After a few minutes, Harry untangled his limps from around Louis and stood up. He bent over, passed his arms under Louis’ neck and knees and lifted him up. He carried him in the bridal style to the bathroom and delicately placed him in the tub. 

The hot water soothed the omega a bit, softening the stab in his bum. Harry washed him with a cloth, kneeled at the side of the tub. He was going slowly, as if he wanted to imprint every part of his body in his memory. He stroked him everywhere and when he arrived at his dick, Louis blushed and two tears ran down his cheeks. Harry didn’t comment and just washed him there too. He frowned when the cloth came back with red spots after he had passed it on Louis’ hole. He did it again to wash any remain of dried blood and semen. Louis whimpered from the sensitivity. 

When he finished cleaning his body, Harry climbed in the tub as well, settling behind Louis, the omega’s back pressed against his chest. He took another vial and poured it on Louis’ hair. He massaged the scalp, washed the locks before rinsing careful not to put any soap in Louis’ eyes.  
The omega was so thankful to Harry for being so nice and patient with him. It only proved what a fantastic alpha he was. During the whole time, Harry was humming sweet songs. Louis recognized one of the waltz played at the wedding ball.

Harry just washed his own armpits and crotch quickly before standing up and getting out of the bath. He lifted Louis again and wrapped him in a huge towel before dropping him on the bed. The omega whined and fell back on his side, curling up in a fetus position. Sitting was hurting him too much. Harry let out a frustrated groan and went back to the bathroom for a minute. He came back, holding a phial of pommade. 

“Louis this is going to help. It is a special ointment with calming properties. The doctor gave it to me and said it would assuage your pain.” He flipped the omega so he was on his back and spread his legs a little. Louis was ashamed to be laid out like that in front of Harry. On display for the alpha to see. He was also ashamed remembering the night before. The prince began to apply the pommade and Louis moaned in pain. Harry was right though and the medicine numbed the stab pretty quickly.

It was late and they got a small lunch served in their room. Harry was so soft and gentle with him that Louis nearly forgot about the wedding night. Finally in the late afternoon, they got dressed and went to court. 

The Queen’s apartments were quite empty, presumably because the majority of the guests were too tired or too hangover to make an appearance. Niall, Josh, Aiden and a few other young nobles were playing dominos at the gaming table. A few men and ladies were chatting quietly. And in one corner the Queen, Eleanor and Gemma were talking to… Princess Kendalla.  
Gemma had a multicolour parrot on one arm and another one on her shoulder. She seemed delighted. The Byzantine princess was holding a small fluffy monkey wearing a jewel bow. Her outfit wasn’t any less flamboyant than the night before. Her dress seemed to be entirely made of diamonds and leopard skin. Her headband was attached to gold strings that came down to her waist, her hair tangled with nacre clips and feathers. She was wearing a lot of dark eye shadow as well as kohl under her eyes. Louis wondered if she tried to look like Cleopatra, the mythical Egyptian Queen whose story he studied with Professor Leconte.  
They walked towards them and Louis did his utmost to not limp. In spite of the pommade he was still hurting a lot. He didn’t want to let it appear though, especially not in front of the Princess.  
Kendalla gave a dashing smile to Harry, once again completely ignoring Louis. On the contrary, Eleanor hugged her little cousin tight kissing his temples. 

“Louis I am so pleased to see you.”

They made small talk. Kendalla told about her stay at the French court, that she intended to go back there after her travels. Meanwhile she wanted to visit Europe. That’s why she came to London. Her being there for the wedding was just a fortunate coincidence.  
Louis could feel that both Gemma and the Queen were fond of Kendalla. Probably liking her extravagance and exoticism. On the other hand, Eleanor clearly disliked her. That was a new side of her personality for Louis. He always had seen her gracious in all circumstances and kind to everyone. But there, the Queen of Brittany was boiling to retort rudely to some comments the Princess made. She contained herself however.

“As you see, I have a few exotic animals” Kendalla was going on about. “I have quite a liking for savage beasts”. She sent a provocative glare to Harry. Eleanor opened her mouth in shock and Louis stilled. She couldn’t have been bolder without grabbing the alpha’s junk. Gemma laughed though, unaware:

“Oh my lady you must mean wild beasts. Like your cute monkey!”

Kendalla gave her a satisfied smile and turned her eyes back to Harry. “Oh of course, _wild beasts_. This is the language. I sometimes make silly mistakes.” Her tone was light and joyful contrasting with the non-equivocal provocation in her eyes.  
Louis felt sick. Who was this princess? Who did she think she was? The worst is that Harry didn’t seem to care. 

“In this case you should go visit our menagerie my Lady. We have a few specimens that you, for sure would appreciate” Harry answered politely. “Our blacksmiths are actually building a pen for the tiger you offered us as we speak. It, needless to say, will be the centrepiece of our collection.”

Sir Aurand came and greeted the royals. “Your highness, Harry. Please let me give you my present now” the master said excitedly. He pulled Harry towards him and led him to another room without more preambles. The small group followed as well.

“These painters” the Queen sighed “a very thin line between genius and lunacy.”

Master Aurand uncovered the paintings that were each on an easel. Everyone came closer to study them. The master’s savoir-faire was truly impressive. Harry was delighted.

“Cal my friend, you surpassed yourself. This is the best work I have seen you do. True masterpiece!”

“This is the models my prince” the painter answered with a wave of the hand. A few other guests came to admire the paintings and profusely congratulated the master.  
Eleanor asked that her copy of Louis, Henri and herself in the garden was packed with her belongings for her to bring back to Brittany. Louis’ copy of the same painting would be hung in his and Harry’s chamber.  
The two canvases of Louis alone, one in his afternoon clothes and one in his dressed up French outfit, were for Harry. The alpha asked that one was placed in his personal office, the other one in the Royal dining room, next to portraits of the rest of the family. Harry insisted to pay the master for his fantastic work but Lord Aurand point-blank refused. They finally came to the agreement that Harry would offer him the best pigments and material that the London art vendors had in stock.

“My lord Aurand, I would actually be very interested if you had the courtesy to paint me” Kendall spurted out. The old master looked at her surprised, as if he just had realized her presence – which he just had to be fair. He gave her a once over before smiling wide. 

“Of course my Lady I would paint you!” He offered her his arm that she took and they began to conspire about all the eccentricities the princess wanted in her portrait.  
One Lord came to Harry and asked for a private conversation. The prince excused himself and followed him out. It left Louis and Eleanor alone.

“So LouLou, how was it? I saw Henri this morning and he didn’t make any comment. Was it… was it that bad?” she asked softly. Louis tried to hold his tears. He hated that he was so emotional.

“It was…” his voice cracked a bit “it was hard. Very… painful but I survived” he said with a tiny smile, reusing his cousin’s words from the night before.  
Eleanor gave him a sad smile.

“Oh Lou I am sorry”. She didn’t know what to say and bit her lips.

“But it… it is done. And Harry is… he is my alpha and he is fantastic…” he mumbled.

“You are a man now baby.” She still looked sad

“I don’t feel like one” Louis said a bit bitter.

“Well you certainly talk like one Lou, and behave like one as well.” She screwed up her eyes like she wanted to see inside of him. “We are so proud of you Lou”. She finally said and Louis let out a small sob.

At dinner, Louis couldn’t watch Henri in the eyes. The humiliation of the night before was still too vivid in his memory. The French prince seemed to understand and didn’t seek interaction with his young brother. The conversation focused mainly on the threatening war as usual. Louis was only half-listening. He wondered if now that they were married, Harry was going to ask him to fulfill his marital duties often. He wondered if Harry wanted to sleep with him tonight again. He knew it was his duty to make his alpha happy in all ways he asked him to; but he wasn’t sure he would be able to have sex tonight.

“Why do you call the Scots the thistles anyway?” Niall asked loud to no one in particular.

“It is the emblem they chose for themselves the King replied. Centuries ago, Vikings wanted to invade Scotland and during one battle, they had the idea to attack during the night, when Scottish warriors were sleeping. But the Vikings stepped on thistles that were in the glades with their bare feet and shouted in paint, waking the Scots up. They could defend their position and won the battle. So they chose the thistles to represent themselves.”

“And how appropriate, thistles they are” Harry grunted angrily “fucking vermin that opposes our authority”.

“Harry please” the Queen complained annoyed “let’s talk about something else. And watch your language would you?” Harry sent her a cheeky smile but Louis knew he was still angry. He could feel Harry, as if he could read in his mind. Louis wondered if it was a result of their bonding.

After dinner, men retired for the traditional brandy and cigarettes. Only Prince Josh stayed with the ladies and omegas. It was now clear he was trying to fuse with Niall. The two never left each other more than a few minutes during the days.  
Niall also seemed more agitated than usual this night. His cheeks were pink and his eyes shining with a strange sparkle. Louis vaguely wondered if he had drunk again. But Gemma came to sit next to him and the big love seat.

“He is approaching heat if you are wondering. It should begin tomorrow or the day after. And of course, Prince Josh won’t let him alone which doesn’t help.”

“Do you think…. Do you think your parents would let prince Josh take care of Niall’s heat?” Louis asked innocently.

Gemma watched him like he was crazy and let out a joyless laughter. She replied with all her sassiness. 

“Oh my god Louis, did Harry knock your head on the wall last night or something? Of course they wouldn’t. Not until they are married. Especially with this arrangement with Ireland they have to be prudent. Imagine there is another war and Josh pulls out of the engagement. Niall wouldn’t be virgin anymore and possibly with a child. He could never find another suitor!”  
Louis felt a bit stupid he asked. Of course they had to wait until marriage.

“Gemma… do you think… do you think I will have to sleep with Harry tonight again?” Louis asked nearly inaudibly. The princess sent him a weird assessing look and she softened when she saw the apprehension in the omega’s feature.

“That… that wasn’t really good yesterday yeah?” It wasn’t really a question. She looked sorry for Louis. “I… I don’t know Lou. I know usually men like… they like sex. Especially alphas. And when you are just married, you usually have… a lot of sex with your spouse.” She was speaking slowly, choosing her words carefully. “And… I know Harry he… well you know his reputation and he likes you a lot…”  
Louis didn’t say anything and fought back his tears. Gemma put her hand on his shoulder gently.

“But, if… if you don’t want. You should tell him, talk to him. I know he cares for you so much.” She smiled to the little prince. “Come on Lou” she hugged him. 

Louis was tired and nervous and decided to retire to his apartments. There, he wrote to his parents and sisters, relating the past week and the wedding, sugarcoating the event as much as possible. He also wrote on his journal. Now that he was alone in his room he decided to go back in the nuptial chamber. He didn’t really pay attention to it the day before, too preoccupied or too in pain. The room was actually very pleasant, decorated with refinement. He saw the bottle of pommade on the night table and grabbed it. He felt the pain coming back stronger and wanted to put some again.  
When he entered back in his chamber, Henri was sat on his bed. Louis jumped in surprise and hid the vial behind his back. Henri was looking at him seriously, maybe a bit… hurt?

“Louis I wanted to talk to you”

“I… I… Henri…” in all honesty Louis didn’t know what to say at all.

“Let me talk ok? Ok, you have to stop avoiding me Lou. Yes I saw you yesterday and it wasn’t pleasant for me to see and I know it wasn’t pleasant at all for you. But it is done; we both had to do it. And it is finished now. We are brothers, we love each other. I love you. I don’t want all this awkwardness between us.”  
Louis had his head lowered, eyes fixed on the floor. He didn’t say anything.

“Listen, I am leaving soon. The middle of this week. And I don’t know when I am going to see you again. So I want to enjoy our moments together.”

“It is just… it is just I am so ashamed” Louis whined with a broken voice.

“Why are you ashamed?” the prince asked softly.

“Because… because you saw me doing that. And it is so mortifying and I was awful, I did so bad and …”

“Pfff Louis come on. What are you talking about? You are not awful, you look beautiful. And I wasn’t there to judge your technique. I thought you were very brave and to be honest you did quite alright, Harry seemed to appreciate his time quite a bit!” Henri even smiled a bit at that. “And I understand it is mortifying but come on it is me. I am not judging you. I love you. It is better me than some stranger right?”

“Yes. I am sorry.” Louis spoke with a small voice. “I know I am being stupid”

“You are not stupid. I felt ashamed as well. But we have to go past through that ok?”  
Louis closed the gap between them and they embraced for a few minutes. When they pulled out, they were both smiling with wet eyes.

“Ok little brother. I will see you tomorrow ok? Sleep well” He kissed him on the forehead and left.

Louis took off his clothes and applied the pommade in between his cheeks. He wanted to go to sleep but he wasn’t sure if he should use his chamber of their common chamber now. Maybe if he used his, Harry wouldn’t sleep with him. He felt his stomach tighten because of this thought. He was such a bad omega for thinking like this.  
But the truth was he actually wanted to sleep with Harry. He wanted to be pressed against him, trapped in between his strong harms, smelling his delightful scent. But he didn’t have the strength to support another night like the day before. Not now. He finally went back to the common bedroom and found Harry sat at the writing desk, reading some documents. He was sipping a glass of wine at the same time. When he saw Louis, he got up quickly and grabbed the omega possessively.

“Here you are my lovely.” He grunted happily. He was kissing Louis’ hair and hugged him tight, lifting him a bit from the ground. He put him back down and began to kiss his neck. He stopped to move to kiss on the bite and lick it lengthily. Louis sighed heavily. His alpha licking their bonding mark was a sensation of pure bliss.

“I know you are worried” Harry said against his skin. “You have no reason to be. I won’t force you to do anything. Yesterday… we had to do it. But from now on we will do it only because we want to”.

Louis was so relieved. But he also felt guilty. “No Harry, I … I want to please you. Just not tonight. But I am your omega. I should make you satisfied.”

“And that is exactly what you do” Harry said again.

 

Henri’s departure was heartbreaking for Louis and too soon after came Eleanor’s. Harry let them sleep together on the eve of the dreaded day. For one last time, they wrapped around each other and laughed and cried all night. 

“Come on cousin, nobody died. We will see each other again. I will come back one day and you could visit me eventually. I will write all the time” Eleanor said while her maids were dressing her in her travel dress. Louis felt so sad and empty for the rest of the week. Thankfully Harry was there at night to hold him tight, his giant body covering Louis completely. 

Life at the castle went back to normal. It was pretty much exactly the same than before the wedding. Louis and the twins resumed to go to classes in the mornings, attending court or hanging out in the afternoons. The guests that attended the wedding all left little by little. Prince Josh left soon after Eleanor to Niall’s great dismay. Only the annoying Byzantine princess stuck around at Louis’ evident displeasure. 

The omega grew closer to both Aiden and Sir Winston. They were pretty busy but when free, spent a lot of their time with the little prince. Their company was a breath of fresh air from Niall who kept moaning about missing Josh and Gemma who seemed to worship Kendalla. Of course, Louis loved the twins dearly but they were getting on his nerves.  
Harry’s behaviour wasn’t helping much. The alpha prince was blowing hot and cold, sometimes sweet and so affectionate and sometimes angry and distant. Louis knew that he was deeply preoccupied with the stormy political situation but that was little solace for the omega. He felt abandoned. At least they slept together every night and Louis glued himself to Harry, but the prince had very little time for his husband during the day.

Harry felt Louis’ frustration and felt sorry and frustrated himself. But he and his father had to regain full authority and bring back order to England. And that was taking precedence to spending lovely time with the little prince. Besides, he was also doing it for Louis. He couldn’t stand that his omega may be in danger again.

The Kings of France and Ireland had assured them their support in case of a conflict but Louis’ father, who had agreed to their marriage to get England’s support in case of a war with Austria, urged them to do everything possible and avoid armed battles. In clear he would send help only as an ultimate last resort because he needed his army for his own war.  
Ireland was an important ally especially in the prospect of naval war against Scandinavia because of its well equipped and redoubt navy. Harry’s father was now trying to press Niall and Josh’s wedding and the negotiations were almost over. If they succeeded, Niall would be married before the end of the summer. 

That wasn’t enough however and Harry was making his utmost to secure other alliances. The solution came unexpected. From a suggestion sent by Henri to Liam and that the ambassador exposed to the council of ministers. The solution was the Ottoman Empire. The spectre of their savage invasion of half of Europe under the previous Sultan was making everyone fear the Turks.

The new Ottoman Sultan had just claimed the throne after a bloody succession war. He wanted to keep up the invasion politic of his father. He wanted to conquer Austria-Hungary. And Austria-Hungary was France’s archenemy. And France was England’s ally. Hence the Ottomans were England’s allies! If the king could secure the help of the Sultan, the war was virtually won.

It was a very dangerous move though. It implied inviting the Ottomans to Europe and pretty much promising them Austria. But who said that after conquering Austria they would stop? They very well could turn against their former allies and continue their expansion. No one knew the extent of the Sultan’s ambition. Besides, he was a new ruler, no one knew either if he was a reliable ally.  
The information they had on him was quite scarce and rather worrying. 

First, rumors had he took part in the poisoning of the former Sultan, his own father. During the succession war he had all his opponents and their families assassinated. He even killed all the ministers of his father and the Grand Vizier in fear they would betray him. Those occurrences were not uncommon for sultans. His father and grandfather had pretty much done the same. But there were also accounts of his incredible violence and despotic penchants. Against his own people and against his harem. 

It was said he sometimes randomly shot at the pedestrians from the balcony of his castle, only for his entertainment. Very impressed by the Ancient Roman circus games, he had had a coliseum built and organized monthly massacres where a mix of real or imagined conspirators and unfortunate innocents were thrown to the lions. Hundreds of slaves had died during the construction as well. The ambassador of Bosnia was quartered alive when the Sultan judged he had disrespected him during his diplomatic visit. 

In other words he was a dangerous paranoiac tyrant. But he could also be the providential ally they needed. Putting him into the mix was a huge gamble. France was ready to make it. Austria was more and more menacing each day. They had rallied the Swiss and Neapolitans in addition to other Italian states and were amassing their army at the French border.  
Harry was convinced as well and put all of his efforts to persuade his father and the hesitant advisors. Finally it was agreed and an emissary was sent to Constantinople. 

 

Harry was going down a corridor to meet General Grimshaw’s envoy from the north when he felt it. 

“Oh fucking hell no! Not now!” he grunted.

“What it is my Lord” Ed asked at his side. Harry didn’t answer straightaway. He looked tensed, teeth gritted, like he was in pain.

“Go find Louis, take him somewhere safe and STAY with him” Harry said ferociously.

“What?” Ed was lost. “My prince… why?” And then he understood.

“You stay with him and if I find you, you don’t let me touch him. Beat me up if you need to”.

He roughly grabbed a man servant that was passing by.  
“You, you go find my father and tell him I can’t meet with the envoy. And find me sluts. Quickly. Both girls and omegas and send them to my room.”

He felt the effects of his rut but was still aware of his actions and able to restrain his urges. He knew that soon he was going to absolutely crave for an omega. And not any omega. Louis. But he point blank refused to let himself use his young husband for his rut. He didn’t want to imagine the pain he would cause him if he did.  
He ran to his chambers, praying for the courtesans to arrive soon. He was absolutely losing his mind, rock hard and rutting against everything when two girls and three omegas were introduced in his room. Even as gone as he was he angrily shouted.

“No! They are not Louis. I want Louis!” The prostitutes seemed quite scared. A blond girl talked.

“I am Taylor your highness…”

He cut her down “I don’t care” and dragged her towards him by her hair. He pushed her to the ground. “Suck” he grunted and shoved his dick in the poor girl’s mouth. While Harry enjoyed his few days of orgy, Louis was moved to Niall’s apartments. Letting him stay in his owns, that were just next door to Harry’s, didn’t seem like a good idea.  
The little omega was consumed with an animalistic angst. His alpha was in rut and was fucking other people. He didn’t even want Louis while in rut. He preferred fucking prostitutes. Louis tried to remind himself that Harry was actually doing that because he _cared_ for him and didn’t want to hurt him. But it was as if his omega hormones were fighting his reason and overwhelmed him with negativity.  
Louis slept with Niall who usually cuddled him, compassionate. But the light embrace of his fellow omega did little to help him. Ed had installed a camp bed in the room and did as his master told him, never leaving Louis’ side. After four days or moans and yelps coming from the chamber, the courtesans left, looking used and exhausted. When Harry reappeared at court, his temper was execrable. 

 

The maids had changed the sheets, cleaned the room from top to bottom and left the windows opened all day to get rid of the smell, but when Louis entered their nuptial chamber, he smelt it instantly. The smell of coitus, the smell of Harry, and the smell of the other ones. His Harry with others. He was shaking a bit, near tears. But when Harry got in the room to get ready for bed, Louis walked to him and kissed him. 

It was a shy kiss but still, very real. Harry was stunned for a second. It was the first time that Louis instigated anything. Usually, he was always responsive to Harry’s kisses or small touches. But never had he made the first move. The alpha felt an electric jolt running through his body and responded hungrily, deepening the kiss right away. He had spent the last few days fucking filthily but that didn’t compare. That simple kiss from Louis made him loose his mind. How come this tiny, shy creature had so much power on him?

He lifted him from the ground like he weighted nothing, his hands squeezing his ass. His palms were entirely covering the cheeks. Louis sighed into his mouth and wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck. It was the first time he was touching him sexually since the wedding night. The alpha squeezed harder, pulling the cheeks apart and walked towards the wall. He crashed against it and pressed the omega between it and his body. Louis was watching him with reverend eyes and Harry wanted to wreck him. His kisses were smutty. It couldn’t even really qualify as kisses. He fucked Louis’ mouth with his own tongue, shoving it down his throat, licking everywhere, biting at the lips. Louis was making the most wonderful noises. Between whines and purrs.

Harry put him back on his feet and tore up the omega’s night shirts in an impetuous move. Louis squeaked but the alpha shut him down. He roughly grabbed the hair at the back of his head and pulled him towards him. He tilted his head on the side, exposing the bonding mark and breathed over it. He was barely touching, his lips only hovering over the scar. Louis was shaking and Harry felt his small dick getting hard against his tights. 

The alpha dropped to his knees and deep throated him easily without any warning. Louis yelped. He had his back pressed against the wall and was clenching at a candelabrum to try and steady himself. Harry put his palms on the inside of his tights and spread them a bit before actually taking hold of one of his legs and passing it above his shoulder. The alpha was still blowing him sucking at the head before diving and taking him all in until his nose was against Louis’ lower stomach. When he was there, he was sucking again before pulling back and doing it all over again. At one moment, Harry stilled with Louis’ entire dick in his mouth and instead of pulling out, grabbed Louis hips and made him thrust into his mouth quickly. It was filthy with the suction noises, the spit and precome dribbling from his mouth and over his chin. 

Louis was basically losing his goddamn mind. The pleasure was so intense, so overwhelming that he felt he weighted nothing. He wasn’t sure it was real. Was he even real? Harry felt the omega was too far gone and when Louis stomach begun to contract erratically, he pulled out and squeezed hard at the base of his coke to prevent him from coming. Louis whined loudly, in pain and surprise. Harry just smirked at him and lowered his head. 

He was now licking at his balls and scrotum and going even further. Louis braced himself and let his head roll against the wall. The older prince raised the leg that was on his shoulder even higher and finally passed his tongue over Louis’ hole. The omega gasped. Harry was frustrated by the lack of access. Finally his brutally turned Louis over making him face the wall and present his ass to him. He parted his tights again and pressed on his lower back to make him arch in front of him. Louis was panting against the wallpaper. Harry licked fat stripes over the crack, going from the scrotum to the anus. He laughed like a madman when he felt Louis’ hole clench. He buried his tongue into the hole and licked inside, turning it in circles. Louis was delicious. Absolutely delicious. He drove his tongue in and out of the omega, sometimes licking around the rim, even scratching a bit with his teeth. Louis was a whimpering mess, face and palms pressed against the wall. His dick was painfully hard, his balls full and heavy between his legs. He made a move to grab himself but Harry just whispered without even stopping eating him out.

“Don’t even think about it” 

He sobbed desperately, aching to touch himself. Harry finally moved his hand towards Louis’ cock, his tongue still deep in his ass. But instead of pumping it to make him come, he just took the head in between his thumb and forefinger and squeezed ever so gently. A tiny pressure that Louis barely felt. He continued doing it all around the head, driving Louis absolutely crazy. Finally he just placed in forefinger over the slit, not even moving, and Louis spurted on the wall. He saw white and his legs gave up under him but Harry steadied him, grabbing his hips. He was still seeing stars and completely dazed when he felt Harry getting up, his hand still on his hips, and pushing him to bend him over the writing desk.

He was flat on top of the documents, quills and seals that the alpha didn’t bother clearing up. Harry untied his pants and didn’t even push them down all the way. Just enough to let his hard, angry dick out. Louis braced himself, waiting for the pain of the penetration but it didn’t come. Instead, Harry slid his dick in his crack and squeezed at his ass cheeks, pushing them against each other. It created a warm, tight embrace for his dick and he trusted into it. Louis felt the sensitivity tickling him since Harry was rubbing against his hole. But he never entered and just fucked his ass crack quickly. He finished himself off over Louis’ back and came so hard it covered it all, come dripping from his shoulder blades to his ass. 

“I want to help you for your next rut” Louis said later that night. He was nuzzled against Harry’s neck, surrounded by the alpha’s muscular arms.

“Louis this is completely out of the question” Harry simply said.

Louis felt hurt. “Why? Harry, am I not pleasing you enough?” he said in a small voice.

“Come on. Don’t be silly. You know it isn’t that.” The prince grunted. “Sleep now”. His alpha voice didn’t let room for any objection.


	12. Chapter XII

After that day, Louis and Harry’s interactions in the chamber became a lot more sexual. Nearly every night, Harry was playing the omega’s body like it was the most precious instrument. He gave him blowjobs, rim jobs, jerked him off and usually fucked his tights or ass crack. But never gave into doing something that would hurt the small prince. His self-control surprised himself even.

Louis was following the diet the doctor had prescribed in order to gain weight and enlarge his hips for future pregnancy. It didn’t really work though. He stayed slim and tiny. He still gained a few kilos but they all went to his butt, making it rounder and plumper. This was to the absolute delight of Harry, who enjoyed a borderline creepy fascination with his little husband’s derriere. 

Two weeks after the reach to the Sultan, the emissary came back bearing his response. Mehmet The Magnificent was to make the travel to London to meet with the king and wanted to discuss the proposition further. That was a victory in itself, Harry exulted. It is full of content that he entered his personal office and found the Lord of Brighton lounging at his desk. His face dropped. He saw red.

“You! What the fuck are you doing here?” he voice was shaking with rage “I told you to never come back to court. I am gonna kill you”. He grabbed the dagger at his side and rushed towards the Lord.

“My prince! My prince! Hold you arm! I brought him here!” Ed shouted from the corner of the room.

“You?!” Harry turned to his henchman. He tone was threatening. “Why?”

“Listen to what he has to say. He has a… proposition for you”

Harry stilled and then motioned imperiously for the Lord to get up and speak.  
“Then talk! He barked

“My prince I came here to offer my help. Again. In your war effort. I am willing to play double agent for you. I could go north and pretend to join the rebellion. Then send you information and hopefully help capture the princess.”

Harry just snorted. “And just how would you do that?”

“Listen, your hatred for me is public. The Scottish informers will know I have beef with you. They will believe easily that I want to join them to get revenge against you for excluding me from court. Once they accept me, I could then provide you with information. You need someone from inside. Like what they have on you.”

Harry hesitated. That was actually a good idea. He sat on a sofa, thinking.  
“And you would do that for…” he didn’t finish.

“The same as before my Lord. Privileges.” He took a step towards Harry. “You have nothing to lose really”.

The prince stared at him. “Out of my sight. I will let you know my answer.”  
Lord Lucas bowed and left.

“I don’t trust this bastard. God I hate him.” Harry just said for both himself and Ed. He took his face in his hands and rubbed his eyes. “What do you think?” he asked the ginger man.

“My lord it is not a question of liking him or not. He may be an asshole but his arguments are valid. The Scots would probably believe his revenge story. His help would be precious then.”

“But do you think we can trust him?” Harry was still unsure.

“He is ambitious Harry. And he is cunning. He wants money and titles and glory. He knows he can only have that trough you. He will only serve his best interests but right now it means serving you.”

“Still I don’t think I could ever trust him” Harry said slowly.

“Then don’t! But use him anyways. You know the saying; keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” The spy said with a smile. “Promise him whatever it is that he wants, even if you don’t end up giving him anything. And my Lord, send him north.”

Harry gave him a joyless smile. “How lucky was I to find you first Ed. I wouldn’t like to have you against me” the prince said pensive.

“I associate with the winners my prince. I wouldn’t like to have you against me either” the red haired simply said. They stared at each other for a moment.

“So be it. Go find this scum and tell him to infiltrate the rebellion.”

Ed bowed and headed towards the door. Harry spoke again to the back of his henchman.

“And tell him he is on his own. No help. No rescue. If he dies that won’t keep me from sleeping well at night”.

One week before the arrival of the Sultan, the war in the north began for real. The armies of the Scottish tribes and the Danes attacked the Royal troops at dawn. General Grimshaw’s men defended their positions with courage and both sides lost quite a few soldiers. It was a field battle so the cannons, catapults and trebuchets, artillery that would have given the Royal army a consequent advantage in a siege, were useless. The soldiers had to fight hand to hand, covered by their respective archers.  
On this segment, the English soldiers dominated, with their famously accurate crossbows. But like their cannons, their infantry wasn’t of any help since the weather was abominable. The heavy rain prevented to lit the powder they needed to use for their arquebuses. All in all the opponents were neck and neck and the conflict was bogging down.

Two days before the arrival of the Sultan, Harry received an unexpected visit. The Ottomans were in Paris, negotiating with the French king. Liam Payne reported that the two countries had indeed secured an alliance against Austria and that the Sultan seemed well disposed towards the English request as well.  
Meanwhile, Count Maximillian, the great Dutch warrior and Eleanor’s lover asked audience with Harry. He had arrived in the capital on the very day. Harry knew and admired his reputation. Besides, Louis had told him about his relationship with his cousin. He arranged to receive the Count in the afternoon.

Louis was at Court sat next to Gemma and painting water colors. Master Aurand had seen a few of his canvases and encouraged him to paint more. He was half listening to Kendalla’s anecdote about something that happened when she was in Russia. The constant bragging the princess made exhausted him. He didn’t understand how sassy-Gemma could be so awestruck. The chamberlain announced the arrival of Count Maximillian and Louis’ head shot up. Eleanor didn’t tell him anything about a visit in her last letter.

He couldn’t help but open his mouth in shock. If Harry could sometimes be scary, the count was absolutely terrifying. His long dark hair framed his pale face. His disdainful air was only matched by the aura of violence and power emanating from him. He was wearing a light armour and a large black heavy mantle and would have better fitted on the battlefield than in the stylish apartments of the Queen. His very red lips were the only indication that he was actually human, and not a vengeful phantom on the loose. 

Louis curled up on his seat, fighting his omega instincts that urged him to just go hide behind the sofa. Harry was at the other side of the room speaking to Sir Winston about the welcoming festivities they would throw for the Sultan’s arrival. When he saw the Count, he bowed his head from across the room and instructed for him to come, making a small gesture with his two fingers. Lord Maximilian crossed the salon with long strides. Even his gait was terrorizing. 

“Thank you Sir Winston, we will talk about this later” Harry was saying when Maximilian reached them

“Sir Winston?” the count repeated screwing up his eyes and stared at him with bloodcurdling eyes.

Harry was taken aback. That wasn’t the most polite way to greet someone. The count was ignoring him and watching his master of ceremony as if he was going to kill him this instant. Ben hesitated and answered in a small voice.  
“My Lord?... Have we met?”

Maximilian growled like a wild animal. The atmosphere was thicker than the London fog. Harry was lost. He didn’t understand why such aggression.  
“Sir Winston don’t play with me. I am like fire and you will get burnt” the Dutchman threatened.

“My Lord restrain yourself! What is this?” Harry asked baffled and getting angrier. “I invited you in my castle, because you requested it. I would be thrilled if you didn’t attack my people”.

The count turned his attention to Harry and bowed his head “My prince”. But he didn’t apologize and still seemed furious.  
“Come on let’s go somewhere to talk” the prince said walking fast towards the door. The count followed him with a last deadly look to Sir Winston. They went to Harry’s office where Ed was waiting for them.

“My lord, please explain” Harry said with a loud voice.

“I was sent here by her Highness the Queen of Brittany, the most gracious Lady Eleanor” the count said simply, making no mention of the prior incident. “She knows my worth and wished I came here to propose my help in the war against your Scottish enemies. Her cousin, his Highness your husband, is very dear to her heart. Hence to mine.” He added with a bow of the head.

“And what was that before in my mother’s apartments?” Harry asked still angry.

“This has nothing to do with you. It is between me and the Sir Winston” Maximilian answered bluntly. Harry couldn’t believe the affront. He thundered:

“Oh yes it is to do with me! And if you want to rally under my authority you will answer my bloody questions”. His alpha voice was on full display.

The Dutchman didn’t flinch, didn’t even seem impressed at all.  
“I am here by the will of my Queen and respond to her authority and hers only. If my offer doesn’t suit your Highness I would gladly leave.” He bowed his head and let out: “I will be at the traveler’s inn until tomorrow if you want to reach me” while leaving.

Harry let out an incredulous laugh. “Tell me Ed, why is it all our allies seem to be such bloody bastards?”

“My prince his reputation is impressive. His fame and talent could one day match the legacy of his Excellency the Lord Beckham, the knight without fear and beyond reproach himself”.

“I know what his reputation is” Harry spat. “But I don’t need the lunacies of a foolish count. He would be uncontrollable.”

“Nothing is any less certain my prince. This count is in for the honour and for his beloved mistress. He probably would be the only ally that we wouldn’t have to doubt. He would never betray her. Besides as a Dutch he could rally…”

“The Dutch king already said he would remain neutral. An old tool too weak to chose his side” Harry interrupted.

“The Dutch King and his army will remain neutral. But that doesn’t mean the Lords of Holland and Flanders will do as such”. Ed objected. “They don’t particularly want to see their threatening Danish neighbours gain even more power. They already see Maximilian as a leader and would rally him under your patronage.”

Harry knew he was right. “Do you know… anything about what is between him and Winston?” the prince asked intrigued.

“I believe this is an affair of the heart my prince. The count is probably jealous of how close the Queen seemed to be to your master of ceremonies”. Harry frowned.

“Ben Winston and Queen Eleanor?” Harry asked before smiling a bit cheekily.

“I don’t believe it went that far.” Ed clarified. “But Sir Winston for sure seemed very fond of our lady”.

“Well, he surely sets his hopes high.” The prince said still amused. “It is unfortunate for him the Queen’s lover is hot-headed. I hope he doesn’t kill him” he said only half joking.

The count Maximilian left to Holland to try and convince the Dutch nobility to take part in the conflict. The same day, the Sultan was in London. Everyone had been awestruck by Kendalla’s wealth and extravagances when she arrived. But the ones of the Ottoman leader were on another level. He had brought with him 30 carriages of solid gold that were pulled by the finest thoroughbred Arabian horses. 

One of the carriages was actually an aviary. The Sultan claimed to be passionate about birds and refused to leave his precious pets home. He had also brought with him two wives and two omegas from his Harem, numerous advisors and war experts, guards, servants of every kind, personal cooks and doctors, testers, slaves, a troupe of his favourite performers, scientists, poets and painters. His entourage consisted of more than 300 people. On his way to the castle, he threw gold coins and jewels at the crowd from the window of his coach. His arrival seemed taken straight out of some old Arabic tale. Harry expected to see a genie popping out of an oil lamp at any moment.

Sir Winston had organized the most pompous welcome to the Sultan with the fanfare playing Turkish marches. But even that was outshone when Mehmet began to give away his thank-you presents to the Royal Family. Sculpted chests and icons, jewels, perfumes, precious oils and black soap from the Black sea, fine tissue, oriental daggers and sabres, Turkish slippers, narguil, shisha tobacco and dried fruits and other sweet treats the Ottoman were renowned for. The Sultan greeted warmly the King and Harry, even respectfully bowed at the Queen but didn’t even acknowledge Louis, Niall and Gemma’s presence. He presented only one of his own wives, his first one, the Sultana Roxelane who was also his favourite. She was a Ukrainian beauty who was first his slave before he married her, in complete disregard of Ottoman traditions.

Louis’ eyes however, were more focused on the small shivering omega that stood beside them and next to the other omega and the second wife. He was a small child, probably even younger than Louis and looked so scared. When the omega felt Louis’ eyes on himself, he raised his head and watched him shyly. Louis sent him a small smile but the omega fixed his eyes on the floor again.

They sumptuously ate, entertained by dancers and singers. The sultan insisted that his troupe did something too and they watched sabre swallowers, fire eaters, snake tamers as well as Turkish dances and acrobatics. Louis was absolutely mesmerized. He had no idea such a show was possible.

“It is a weird game you kings of Europe are playing” the Sultan said at one moment “selling your omegas to get alliances and lands”. He watched Louis appreciatively. Nobody spoke.  
“The king of France assured me England is now one of their best allies. How nice! How convenient? After you spent centuries hating and fighting each others.” Still nobody said a thing. What was there to respond to that?  
“I guess it is true blood is thicker than water” the man concluded.

“As you must know!” It was Kendalla. Her voice was harsh but her face had lost her ever-present smug expression. She actually looked really young and… scared? Vulnerable?  
For the first time, Louis felt sorry for her. Kendalla had been persecuted by her own brother and some of her siblings didn’t have her luck. The sultan had himself killed numerous members of his family. They both came from the same background. From dynasties ready to murder each others for power and glory.  
Louis wondered what it must have been to grow up in such a family. Surrounded with constant plotting, fearing for your life every day. To have to distrust and hide from the very same people that should protect and love you. Maybe the princess’ attitude, her annoying self-confidence, her extravagances were screens of smoke that permitted her to manage to stay alive.

But it was just a second of weakness from Kendalla. The princess wore her self-righteous mask again in a heartbeat. The sultan watched her amused.  
“As must you my lady! How is your brother doing?”

She smiled innocently. “Very well your Highness. I hear he looks for the well-being of his people as much as his Excellency the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.”

It was an affront surely. The Byzantine king was a blood-angry despot and an awful ruler that had his people dying of starvation. Louis couldn’t help but be appreciative. Kendalla, as well as the Sultan it seemed, mastered the art of insulting but with staying courteous. The distaste they had for each other and the affronts they sent to their faces were pretty clear. Still, you couldn’t accuse any of them of actually being impolite. For Louis, who was never impolite in the first place, it was a real wonder.

The Sultan excused himself quickly after dinner, stating he was tired by his journey. This night Harry didn’t sleep well. He was shifting and turning in the bed, too apprehensive to just cuddle with Louis. The day after was so important. His father and him had to convince the Sultan to partake in the War. Louis crawled back to him.  
“Harry what is it?” he whispered “are you ok?”

“yeah yeah go back to sleep” he sounded a bit annoyed. Louis was hurt, he hesitated a few second and put his palm on Harry’s torso, just above his heart.

“I can’t sleep without you hugging me” he said softly and Harry shot him an unreadable glance. He breathed in deeply, expired and then:

“Come here” he said. Harry was on his back, Louis placed his head on Harry’s chest and melted at his side. Harry hugged him close. He finally dozed off, liking the small weight of his omega on his heart.

 

Louis had decided to skip court today. He went to the library because he wanted to study the Ottoman history and culture, still amazed by the show he saw the previous day. He was alone for a long time but then was joined by the tiny omega from the Sultan’s harem. He looked scared and hesitant but finally walked towards Louis and sat down one chair away from him.

“Hi” the prince said

“Hi” his voice was high pitched and lovely “my prince” he added quickly as if he feared a punishment for not saying it.

“What is your name? I am Louis”

“I am Pasha. 4th and last omega of his Highness Mehmet the Magnificent.”

“Nice to meet you Pasha. Do you want to join me?” He said hesitantly. The omega just nodded and came closer.

“You are reading about Ottoman traditions?” he asked a bit surprised.

“Yes, I… I really liked the artists of your… husband yesterday and I wanted to know more about your country”

“That is not my country” the small omega simply stated. Louis hesitated again.

“Ah no?”  
Pasha actually smiled a little. Louis must have looked really lost.

“No I am from Moldova. Most of the Harem is not from the Ottoman Empire even the first wife. The Sultan likes European blood.”

“Ho… and how is it? The Harem? We don’t have that here.”

Pasha laughed again, quite sadly this time. “It is not very nice my prince. Some of them are nice but most of them are ambitious. They want to be the Sultan’s favourite, they want to gain influence and they want their sons to become Sultan. Our children will probably end up murdering each other like it always is.” He said without emotion.

“Do you have children?” Louis asked.

“No. Not yet. Do you?”

“No” Louis said. “I am not even… I don’t even have heats yet.” He added.

“Oh really? How old are you?” Pasha asked

“Thirteen. You?”

“Twelve. But I have my heats. I think it is because of the weather. We have our heats younger because it is hotter there”

“I wish I had my heats to please Hary better” Louis mumbled for himself. But the other omega heard it.

“He is you haz isn’t it? I saw it from the beginning. You look at him like he is God himself.”

“My haz?” Louis asked. “ What is it?”

“Yes your haz, your hazza. It is Turkish language. It means he is your delight and joy. You relish him and he brings you great pleasure.”

“Yeah…” Louis said slowly. “Yeah he is my Hazza then”  
They studied quietly and chatted a bit more from time to time. Pasha was nice and sometimes funny. But the fear and sadness in his eyes never completely left.

 

“So” the Sultan said. “I concluded an alliance with the French”. They were in the King’s office, holding counsel with their ministers and the Sultan’s advisors. Harry was sat at the right of his father, facing the Ottomans. “But the French are fighting against the Austrian and I want Austria. So that was logical. You English people, what do you have that I want? I can’t think of anything.” His tone was neutral but loud.

“We are willing to pay a lot.” The king said. “We also can share military secrets with you, mechanical discoveries. Anything you would ask. We also think that once the war in Scotland is over, we could send a contingent of our best soldiers to help you in your conquering journey.”

The Sultan snorted.  
“My king, I don’t need your money. I have enough of my own. The mines of my fair land provide inexhaustible amount of gold and diamonds. I don’t need your secrets either. My mathematicians and my engineers outclass yours from far, we both know it. As for your men. How many do we talk about? For how long? My conquering journey will follow the one of Alexander the Great. I will unify the whole of Middle East and North Africa. I will even go until India. And where he failed I will succeed and create the vastest empire the world knows.”

Harry forced himself not to roll his eyes at the megalomaniac dreams of the Sultan.  
“What do you want then?” he asked trying to hide his frustration. “Surely you wouldn’t have come here if you were not ready to discuss.”

“I am thinking… of taking another wife” he said nonchalantly.

The king and Harry stilled, some of their advisors gasped, Zayn- who was writing the transcript of the negotiation- raised his head.  
“You want an English wife?” the king asked very tensed. “But what about… they are Catholic?” It came out as a questions even if it wasn’t.

“So what? Three quarters of my Harem are Orthodoxies from Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Serbia. She can just convert, or pretend to convert. I don’t really care.”

“And who would that be?” Harry asked. He dreaded the answer. He didn’t recognizes his own voice and could hear the blood rushing in his ears.

“Your sister my Lord. Princess Gemma." the Sultan shrugged like it was evident. "She surely is a pearl among women from what I could see. And I want to take part in your European marrying games, it seems amusing.”

The king squeezed Harry’s tight very hard under the table to prevent him from jumping on the Sultan and choking him. Instead the old alpha said that the Sultan should address them his official letter of proposal to the princess, so they could study it. The sultan bowed low and left with his men.  
Harry was mad with rage.

“You seriously don’t consider that father?!” he was screaming “you would marry Gemma to this brute? He has three wives already and four omegas and a Harem full of whores!”

“Calm down Harry” his father said in his deep alpha voice. “I consider nothing. We will wait for the letter and see.”

“So you consider it?” his tone was accusing and still boiling with rage.

“No. I don’t want to marry Gemma to this fool. But we still have to wait for the letter. Maybe he will promise something astonishing that would make us reconsider. And anyways, I couldn’t deny him right away like that!”

“Why not?” he shouted again

“Because it is diplomacy Harry” his father shouted back. “You don’t invite the Emperor of a great country and ridicule him when holding counsel! Even if you have no intention of agreeing with any of his asks you still say you will study them! You know that my son! Stop letting your emotions overwhelm you and impair your judgment.” 

When he entered his chamber he was still angry. But Louis was there waiting on their bed, looking so cute in his richly brocated robe. He smelt so good as well, probably had bathed using the oils and soap the Sultan had gifted them. The omega was sat, hugging his knees close to him and sent a heart melting smile to his alpha. Harry just rushed to the bed and plunged on the small prince. He pressed him against the bed and kissed his nose.

“So my love, what have you done today to look so happy with yourself” Harry teased.

“I was at the library. I read about the ottomans. And I was with Pasha, Lord Mehmet’s omega” Louis squeaked rapturous because Harry was tickling his sides.

“Oh and this Pasha made you that happy?” Harry teased again

“No you do! You’re my hazza” Louis said between giggles.

“yeah? What is that?” the alpha whispered into Louis’ neck

“It means you are my delight and you give me pleasure” the omega said trying to be serious.

“Oh yes? Well you are my hazza too then” the prince said nosing at Louis’ collarbones.

He kissed him then and took him in hand no long after. Usually Harry was very intense, jerking him off fast and quick with powerful strokes making Louis pant with all he add and basically lose his mind. This time he was slow and playful, not really teasing but very sweet. Louis enjoyed it. The slow build up, the complicity and the smiles between them. It was different and it was good. Another kind of good than the one that usually wrecked him.  
Finally Harry untied his own trousers and took both their lengths together in his hand, stroking them quick. The friction of Harry’s fist as well as his cock against his own, made Louis spurt fast. The alpha brought his hand to Louis’ mouth and made him lick it clean. Louis wasn’t very fond of his own sperm but he knew Harry got off of seeing him swallow it. 

Then Harry moved his hand back to finish himself off but Louis suddenly grabbed it. He wasn’t sure of what he was doing. He trapped Harry’s gaze with his own as to warn him of what he was gonna do. He finally moved his own hand to touch the alpha. Harry panted loudly even before he grabbed his dick. That was a very first. Lou had never returned any of Harry’s favours. His moves were hesitant, not completely in control. Harry put his forearms on the sides of Louis' head and pushed himself up, to give the omega more access; but also to watch Louis’ hand on his cock. It was so tiny it had to stretch to be able to take him fully. It was also so golden and fair, against the dark red of his member. Louis widened his strokes a bit and seemed to gain more confidence. Harry moaned loudly when he changed his moves. 

“Yeah like that! Fuck! Yeah twist it at the end!”

Louis complied, willing to please his alpha. Harry came quickly more because of the fantasies that filled his head and worked himself up than because of Louis’ inexperienced technique. He watched Louis licking his hand clean for the second time. The omega preferred Harry’s cum greatly. Harry growled. But it wasn’t enough. He was still hard and wanted more.

“You wanna suck my dick baby?” Louis eyes widened a bit but Harry didn’t give him time to answer. He rolled them over so he was on top and shifted until he was stradding Louis’ torso. "Yeah you gonna suck my dick". The vision of Louis perfect innocent face right next to his angry cock made Harry feel dizy.

“I… I don’t know how to” the omega said in a small voice

“Kiss it” Harry took himself in hand and placed his head against Louis’ lips. The omega kissed the tip once, twice.

“Then lick around it and along the length”. Louis licked around the head and toyed the slit with the end of his tongue. He then traced the sides and the bottom of the shaft until he was at the balls. 

“Yeah you got a good mouth” the alpha growled “you are like a little kitten aren’t you”

He grabbed a fist of Louis hair and shifted back a bit to get his lips at his head again.  
“Now open wide darling” he placed his dick in Louis’ mouth and began to push in a bit. He stopped.

“Now suck on it. Yeah?” Louis did as told. He sucked on the cock, even moving his tongue a bit underneath, knowing Harry did it for him and that it felt good. Harry took it out for a few seconds and trusted in again a little further. Louis sucked again and Harry moaned lowly. He took one of Louis’ hands and placed it on his base, where his own hand was before.

“Now you take me in an out at your rhythm and you suck.” He said in a broken deep voice. “You can stroke a bit as well”. Louis did just that. Taking his cock and stroking the base. He was trying to take him deeper and deeper, his mouth meeting his hand when he stroked. That was just so good. Harry threw his head back, feeling pleasure all around. At the pitch of his stomach, along his spine, even in his toes.  
At one moment, Louis took him particularly deep and Harry grabbed his hair and forced him to stay there for a moment. He watched his eyes watering a bit before releasing the pressure and letting him pull out. Louis was breathless. He was also eager and took him again, even deeper. Harry forced him to stay there with his cock deep in his mouth once again. Louis moaned around it and Harry lost it.

He grabbed his hair tighter and began to trust in and out, fucking Louis‘ mouth. He was going at it pretty rough but the omega seemed responsive.  
He let himself go completely then, trusting as deep as he could and hitting the back of Louis’ throat. He was going fast and deep, the noise it made was filthy and Louis’ eyes were full of tears, some falling along his hollowed cheeks. Harry didn’t think he ever saw something so beautiful.  
During one second, he wondered if Lord Aurand would agree to paint this for him. He felt his orgasm growing close and went even rougher, wrecking Louis’ mouth and throat. He stopped when he was buried deep inside and watched Louis choke. His lips were impossibly stretch around him. There was absolutely no more room in his mouth or throat. After a few seconds he pulled out and did it again. Finally he pulled out completely and came on Louis’ face with a loud growl. He was panting and had to take a minute to calm his breath. He then cupped the dripping liquid and fed it to Louis. Yes he had quite an obsession about Louis eating his jeez. So what? 

“Yeah good boy. That is a dirty mouth you got” he said his voice still deeper than usual.  
Louis whimpered. 

“Answer me” harry ordered in his alpha tone. He wanted to hear Louis’ fucked up voice.

“I… I don’t know” Louis muttered. His voice was raspy and broken. So hot. Harry moved aside Louis’ chest and settled on his side. Only then he saw the little omega was hard and leaking on his belly.

“Oh you liked it then. You like it when I fuck your mouth rough” his tone was threatening. “Take care of it babe then. I am watching”

“Harry” the omega whined in his broken voice.

But the prince refused to touch him. He sat comfortably against the headboard, crossed his arms and waited. Louis had no choice but to stroke himself until he came all over his stomach, under the appreciative glare of his alpha.

 

The next day they studied the marriage proposal of the Sultan. He was offering ten thousand men for the Scotland war as well as engineers that would help them use the advanced Ottoman weapons. Apart from Gemma, he didn’t even ask for an important dowry, explaining the princess was gain enough for him. He also assured of further assistance, within reason of course, if England was in other conflicts.

“All in all, it is a very good offer” one of the ministers pointed. They had been discussing the matter for an hour now. Everybody screaming there points and interrupting each other.

“Yes it is.” Harry growled “and we would accept it in a heartbeat if it was from anyone else. But it is the Sultan we are talking about. The one that calls himself The Magnificent but that his people call The Crazy in his back.”

The King made an imperious gesture with his hand to stop all discussions.  
“Enough! I heard enough! We will refuse this offer.”

Harry let out a big breath of relief.  
“I don’t want my daughter in a harem surrounded by whores. The debate is closed. We will inform the Sultan this afternoon. Now get out. All of you.”  
All the ministers left grouching. He grabbed Harry’s arm.

“No you stay.” They waited until everybody was out. “We received good news from Count Maximilian. He gathered several Dutch lords and they have a small army. They will be en route to London soon and arrive in a week or so. You will go with them to the North. We need a leader worthy of the name. General Grimshaw is a good soldier but he needs support and he needs direction. You will lead the army. Our men need some motivation and a prince to fight at their side is motivation enough.”

“Gladly father” Harry bowed his head. He could not wait to go north and make that bitch Cara kneel in front of him in defeat.

“Also the Duke of Wales died, God rest his soul” he crossed himself quickly. “His son Ashton will take the title and is coming to London for our blessing. He will also accompany you to the north. He promised 700 soldiers.”

Harry nodded. Wales was part of the kingdom but was independently ruled by the Dukes of Wales, under the patronage of the king. Harry wasn’t familiar with Ashton who was only eighteen. But he had been quite close to his sister the Duchess Caroline when she lived at court a couple of years ago. She was his good friend and had been his mistress for a while. It was scandalous because he was only seventeen at the time and she was height years older than him. Caroline had always been a simple and life loving girl and handled the gossips pretty well. Their adventure ended when she went back to Wales but they had stayed on good terms and Harry read the occasional letter he received from her with pleasure.

 

“I am very sad to inform you that we have to refuse your proposal your Highness” the King said.  
The sultan looked displeased but not surprised.

“Well I am very sad to hear that.” The Ottoman answered. “You will have to fight your war alone then”

“So it appears.” The King agreed.

“I will waste your time no longer then” the Sultan let out. “We will be going tomorrow. I want to thank you for your welcome and hospitality”. He eyed Harry. “We will meet again I am sure” he said before leaving.

The farewell ball was magnificent. Both Kendalla, Roxelane and the other sultana wore dresses that even the Queen of Sheba wouldn’t have afforded. The music was a mix of traditional waltzes and minuets and Ottoman, Arabic and Persian rhythms. This music had Louis gracefully shaking his butt next to Pasha who taught him the moves. It was so much fun! Louis was a very good dancer and was congratulated by even the Turkish troupe. Harry was hardly able to tear his eyes away from him. The contrast with Niall’s the clumsy moves next to the omega only underlined his talent. 

But he had something else to watch as well. The sultan danced with Gemma quite a bit and Harry was tensed. What was he playing at? Their answer had been clear. No marriage. Still, the Sultan pursued the Princess with resolution. He even offered her a fantastic set of jewels that the Queen made her refuse. Gemma was lost because nobody told her the Sultan had proposed. She still felt the deadly glares of the sultanas on her during the whole night and came up to Louis and Niall.

“Look at that! I have no suitors for sixteen years and now I have one. The worst of all with several angry wives ready to tear me apart like vultures.” 

Niall laughed obliviously.  
“Come one Gemma! As if you would be allowed to marry the Sultan! As if he’d even ask!”

Following the Ottoman tradition, omegas and women went to bed around midnight but men stayed awake to enjoy the choreographies of belly dancers. Louis was sulky and Niall made fun of him. But the little omega couldn't sleep thinking of Harry watching sensual half naked women. Around 30 minutes after he was in bed, he heard a small knock on his door.  
That was Pasha. He seemed to have cried. His eyes were red and his voice shook when he asked if he could enter. Louis nodded and the two guards that were at his door let the omega go in.

“Pasha what is it?” Louis asked worried.

“You know Lou, we are supposed to go back on tomorrow. But… I don’t want to go”

“oh Pasha…”

“I was thinking I could stay with you and prince Harry and I could be his omega as well” Pasha was speaking fast, he looked agitated and desperate.

“We… we don’t have that here. Alphas only have one omega. Officially” Louis added, remembering all the stories of mistresses and lovers.

“I could be your page then! I don’t care. Please. I could hide here and he would go. And I could stay” the little omega begged in a miserable tone. Louis took Pasha’s shaking hands and ushered him to the bed where he sat him down. 

“Why? What is it that you want to flee so bad?” Louis asked ill at ease.

“It is… it is when I see you and your haz. I see you are happy and he loves you. The sultan he doesn’t love me and he is… harsh”

“What do you mean harsh?” Louis whispered.

“You know he… likes to beat me” he revealed a big black bruise on his colors bones when pulling his shirts down a little. “and…”

“And he is rough during sex.” Louis finished for him.

Pasha ducked his head and Louis saw two tears falling on his comforter.

“Yeah… he likes to spank me. But what he likes the most it is watch. He likes when he has several males taking me at the same time” he whimpered.  
Louis wanted to puke and hold his little friend tight. 

“Shh don’t cry… we will find something”

Harry entered the room looking happy and quite drunk. He frowned when he saw the two omegas wrapped around each other.

“Lou?”

“Oh Harry!” Louis jumped. He wiped his tears quickly and told him the whole story in fast whispers.

“We need to hide him! We need to keep him here” he finished.

Harry sighed, looked at Pasha huddled up in a little ball on their bed, then back at Louis.

“Louis. We can’t do that. Do you want to start a war with the Sultan? His people must already know that he is in here and he could get big problems for that. A lot of guards must have seen him leaving his room and coming here.”

“But Harry, we could make him go back to his room. And then maybe your Ed, your spy he could kidnap him! And the Sultan wouldn’t know” he was begging now, knowing he didn’t make much sense.

“Louis, we... we can’t do that. The sultan would find out and... even if he doesn’t he is our guest. The responsibility for his disappearance would be ours. The sultan would still attack us.”

They couldn’t speak more. There was a knock at their door, Harry went to open and faced the Sultan himself with a few of his guards.  
“I was told something that belongs to me is here” he said. His voice was calm but his eyes were dark with anger.

“Yes, your Highness” Harry answered immediately. “Him and Louis were just chatting before bed” he lied “they became good friends and will miss each other when you leave”

“well” the Sultan growled “ I would have my omega now”. Louis and Harry turned around to see Pasha walking towards us. The sultan put a hand on one of his shoulders and squeezed a bit. Louis knew he was pressing on one of the bruises.

After they left Louis didn’t speak to Harry. He wasn’t even that mad against Harry and knew he couldn’t have done much. He just was sure that if he talked he would break down. The alpha didn’t push him and just cuddled him tight during the night.  
In the morning, Louis couldn’t ignore the obvious limp in Pasha’s walk. Neither his red eyes and how he flinched when he hugged him goodbye. Louis cried during the whole afternoon and felt down the following days. Harry confronted him on the night of the second day.

“Louis what is it? Why are you so sad? Is it because of your friend?” Harry asked sweetly, putting the omega on his lap.

“It is just. You can do anything you want with us.” Louis said in a small small voice.

“What?” he didn’t understand

“Alphas you can do anything you want. Not only alphas, betas also. We, omega and girls, we are your properties and you can do everything you want. You can beat us up and...”

“Louis” Harry interrupted taken aback “You know I would never do that to you right? I would never even think about it!”

“Harry I... am not saying that you would. Or that you ever would want to. But the thing is you could if you wanted. And nobody would bat an eyelid”  
Harry remained silent, taking in his omega’s sentence.

“And I am a prince! If you could do that to me, imagine what normal people do” his tears were threatening to fall down. "All of us, Niall, Gemma, Eleanor, my sisters, Pasha we are all submitted to the good will of our husbands.”

“Louis listen, I know... the situation isn’t perfect. But here in Europe, it is not the same than for Pasha. And here we have a prevention campaign going on to teach the alphas what they shouldn’t do. We try to educate the people and it will become better and better.”

Louis was still crying lowly. Harry felt bad. Of course he was sorry for Pasha and despised the alphas who were violent against their omegas. But he never had given it much of a thought. It was what it was and that was all. Harry added:

“And I will talk to my father and the counsel. Maybe we could edit some laws. I am the prince after all! Don’t cry Lou.”  
Louis smiled a bit.

 

The next day he spent a lot of his time in the library. He was trying to find if any philosopher had written about omegas and women condition. But there didn’t seem to be any literature about it.  
The Bible said they had to honour their fathers and then their husbands, doing anything to please them. But nothing more. 

Finally he went to find his professor and explained his researches to him. The man seemed genuinely surprised but also proud.

“There is a new current of thoughts about the omegas condition actually Louis. The most notorious philosopher talking about omegas issue is called James Corden. He lives here in London and is one of my good friends. I could arrange a meeting if you wished.”

Louis was delighted after his conversation with his teacher. He was sure that meeting Sir Corden would give him arguments to persuade Harry and the King. Maybe he could do somethng for his fellow people. In the corridor he passed a beautiful lady and a handsome young lord going to the Kind’s office. He didn’t think much of it until he heard the whispers of a maid.

“Oh that is the Duchess of Wales. I recognise her she used to live here!”

“Prince Harry’s old whore you mean?” another maid asked.

"Yes, yes that's her " the first agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you are wondering "haz" does really mean delight, pleasure, joy... in Turkish! Isn't that so well fitted? ^^


	13. Chapter XIII

"Your Highness, may I present the new Duke of Wales, Lord Ashton and his sister the gracious Duchess Caroline"

Harry was sat next to his father and the king was on his throne in the reception room. It was the official introduction of the young Duke and the king would crown him the next day.

Whispers broke out around the room. Everyone was commenting on the arrival of the scandalous duchess and her very handsome brother. Caroline smiled with her eyes to Harry who couldn't help but reply. They both bowed in front of the throne.

“It is an honour to meet you my king and I promise I am here to serve and please your Highness.”

Gemma was in the crowd during this exchange and was impressed by the young duke’s beauty. 

“Well Gem, close your mouth” Niall giggled. "You could swallow a fly my dear sister” he laughed.

“Shut up” she shoved him but the prince began to imitate kissing noises and made other rude gestures. He didn't stop all day and the princess was going to kill him really soon. At dinner, the duke and duchess were both attending and Louis found himself facing Caroline, who was sat next to Harry. It was different than with Kendalla, as the duchess didn't make any inviting innuendos or inappropriate gestures. She was actually very nice. 

But she was still talking to Harry, comfortable and happy. Her elbows sometimes brushing the prince’s arms, sometimes even bending closer to the alpha to whisper some inside jokes that would have him laugh quietly. Louis was so uncomfortable and so jealous! It was stupid because Caroline was lovely and had been pleased to meet Louis and had told him only nice things. But it didn't help. She was still close to Harry and making him laugh and making his eyes sparkle with interest and joy.

Louis spent the entire dinner very tensed and couldn't eat much. Harry didn't even notice; him that usually forced Louis to finish all his plates and follow the doctor’s orders even when the small omega was reluctant. The little prince went to bed early hoping Harry would join him. But the English prince stayed until the small hours in the veranda with Caroline, laughing about the past and reminiscing all the dumb things they used to do together. 

Caroline was a breath of fresh for Harry. He hadn't realised it, but he was in a constant state of tension, feeling the burden of politics on his shoulders. The duchess reminded him of a time when he was younger and carefree, certainly not innocent but more optimistic probably. After several hours waiting for his husband, Louis fell asleep without Harry for the first time since their marriage.

 

The crowning of Duke Ashton was quick, done in the Kings apartments in presence of the court. Gemma wore one of her most dressed up gown and Niall couldn't stop making fun of her. Louis found it quite annoying. After all Gemma had been quite supportive to him when he was heartbroken over Josh's departure.

“Come on Niall, we understood, it is not that funny” the little omega groaned behind his greeted teeth. He was also frustrated by Harry’s behaviour and couldn't take his eyes of him and Duchess Caroline, who were standing side by side, official witnesses of the ceremony.

Niall seemed taken aback. Louis was never the type to complain about one of his jokes, certainly not in this aggressive tone.

“wow Lou, you got your periods or something? Maybe your heat is coming, who knows?” Louis had to be careful not to slap him.

 

After the ceremony, they hanged out at the Queen's court where the Duke and Duchess made an appearance as well. If it was clear Gemma fancied the young lord, the same was probably true as well and Sir Ashton kept complimenting the princess. Harry who had stayed with his father for counsel arrived a bit after. He kissed Louis on the temple (like a child) and put his large hand on the small of Lady Caroline's back. The intimacy of it all made Louis nauseous.

"We are leaving soon my lord Ashton. Sir Maximilian and the Dutch lords will be here tomorrow. Then we can head north." the alpha announced.

They made small talk and Harry left again for another meeting. Louis couldn't stand to stay longer with the duchess. He feigned a headache to escape the oppressiveness of the court. But while he was returning to his apartments, the gossips he overheard from whispering maids didn't help him calm down.

"don't you think the prince is very close to that duchess?" he heard. 

Or "his Highness is married now but this duchess certainly is no prude, he is quite the skirt chaser as well anyways".

One young linen maid was saying "i heard they stayed in the veranda until early morning, who knows what happened" but her friend nudged her when she saw Louis.

He ignored it but that hurt. He had forgotten about this gossiping atmosphere he hated in France and faced now, stronger than even. And he loved and trusted Harry, he knew his alpha would never betray him like that. However he was still plagued by doubt, taken by an irrepressible fear. All rational thoughts couldn't appease him. In his chambers he paced up and down like a caged animal.

 

"Promise me you will be careful my lord when you fight against our Scottish enemies." Gemma timidly asked Duke Ashton.

The young lord smiled sweetly. "I will my lady. I wouldn't dare to make you worry for me. Besides I will be with your most skilful brother and the best warriors this part of the globe. I will be fine."

The two young nobles were withdrawn in a corner, distanced from Caroline and Niall who now chatted with the queen and her ladies.

"Will you let me write to you?" the young man asked. "I know I would take much pride knowing such a beautiful and graceful princess reads my words." Gemma was over the moon. She never was courted this manner, especially not by the very man she fancied.

"Of course my lord, write and I will respond. And pray for you everyday. Hearing from you will always brighten my mind."

 

Harry came into the room hurriedly. He was just picking a letter he had left on the writing desk. He found Louis in their room alone, sat at his table and crossing out words on a shit of paper. He seemed angry, agitated at least.

"Lou? What are you doing here? Why are you not at court with the others?" Harry asked perplexed.

Louis didn't answer at first. He didn't want to use the excuse of the headache because he knew Harry would get worried and question him more, maybe even call the doctor.

"It is nothing. I just wanted to write." he gave a poor smile and Harry frowned, his forehead creased.

Louis wished he just left it there. He didn't want to tell Harry he was annoyed by Caroline because he knew it was ridiculous. It could also offend Harry or worse, even make him angry. Besides, Louis didn't want to appear as the small, insecure mess that he was. But Harry didn't give him a chance.

"Louis speak" he said in his alpha voice and Louis couldn't resist.

"I just... I didn't want to stay at court because _she_ was there and there are lots of rumours about you two. And I know it is stupid but it... it just makes me jealous" the omega confessed in a whisper.

To his surprise Harry didn't get angry or treat him like a fool. He took his arm and pulled him up towards him. They were close and Harry lifted him up against his chest so their foreheads were touching.

"Awwww Lou" he purred. "I love that you are jealous. You are my possessive little kitten aren't you."

"So Lady Caroline, you don't like her like...?" Louis was interrupted by Harry's big laugh. Both their bodies were shaking with the spasms of his laughter.

"Lady Caroline is an old friend Lou. She reminds me of the good old days. But I don't like her like you. I don't love her like you." he said more solemn. "And we were never in love, even back then. We were just having fun and enjoying these peaceful times."

Louis was glowing. "You love me?" he asked shyly. Harry beamed.

"Of course I do, you dummy" he said biting his lips and Louis felt like passing out.

 

Maximilian and his men arrived the following day with their small army. They stayed stationed outside of the city to be able to depart faster. Only the scary Lord came to the castle. He asked to see Louis in private and Harry was first reluctant. Usually no alpha was aloud to be left alone with the little prince. Besides he didn't particularly liked or trusted the lord. But the king granted the favour and the prince had to accept. 

"Louis I asked to meet with you because I know I can trust you. You are my dear Eleanor's cousin and I know she loves you like a brother." Maximilian said when they were alone in the prince's room. "I want to leave you this letter."  
He opened the laces of his tunic and took a handkerchief that was against his heart. Louis recognised the blazon of Eleanor embroidered on its corner. The hankie enveloped a sealed letter that he gave to the small prince, before placing the tissue back on his heart.  
"If by fate I am killed or reported missing, please send this letter to your cousin."  
Louis felt a wave of affection for this man. It didn't matter how scary he looked and how arrogant he was. He did truly love Eleanor and for that, Louis loved him.

"Of course my Lord" he said seriously and even a bit emotional. "I would make sure she gets it if tragedy strikes you".  
The warrior addressed him something that could pass for a smile. Louis felt embolden.  
"I am very happy my cousin found a man that loves her as she deserves" Louis added. "And I will wish for your safe return". He gave him a big smile and the alpha just watched him carefully.

"Your prince Harry is a lucky man" Maximilian simply said before heading out without another word. Louis was quite stunned because that was an exit! Without any goodbye or further politeness. But he also felt flattered. The warrior was an uncompromising man that never gave in to gallantry or fake praising. Therefore his compliment for Louis was all the more laudatory.

Harry's departure was heartbreaking for Louis. The royals and the court stood on the big balcony watching Harry, Ashton and Maximilian at the head of a part of the army and saluting the King. The king raised his hands to perform the ceremonial blessing. The little omega cried again when his eyes caught Harry's. He had since Harry had said his goodbyes in private, holding Louis close and kissing him passionately. He managed to wipe his face, put on a brave face and give his alpha a little smile. Harry's irises shined with pride. And then he was gone. The army followed them, only surrounded by the noise of their equipments clinking against each others.  
Only after he couldn't see Harry, he turned around to head back to the castle. He discovered that Gemma, Niall, the Queen, Caroline and some other ladies of the court were all wiping their eyes.

The first night without the alpha was terrible. Louis felt cold but not only physically. He felt he was missing something inside, like someone had pulled out a vital organ out of his body. Every time he managed to dose off, he jumped awake with horrible images of Harry wounded on the battleground. For the first time in a long time, he was seeing back the carnage scenes from their attack in front of the theatre. Except that instead of anonymous faces, it was always Harry. Harry dying with his throat sliced. Harry loosing an arm. Harry shot down and falling on the floor like a rag. Harry run through and spiting blood. Finally in the early morning, the young prince, exhausted and feverish, cried himself to sleep.  
The next days and nights were not much better. Louis even lost all the weight he had gained. He was mostly quiet, in a daze of anxiety and distress. He was left feeling empty. Only then, the prince understood the strength of the bound that he shared with Harry. Because he knew, he could feel in his bones, that Harry missed him as much. The feeling helped him a little bit.

He found himself seeking Aiden's company more once again. The young tenor wasn't morose like the rest of the family was. And he always went out of his way to cheer the little omega up. Finally thanks to his friend's support and thanks to time, Louis found a balance and began to regain livelihood. He still missed Harry horrendously but didn't show it as much. Something that helped him much as well was his researches on omega rights.

His professor had kept his promise and arranged a meeting between the prince and Sir Corden. The omega would meet the philosopher the following week. Meanwhile he had provided him with a few essays of his ideas that Louis read each night before going to sleep. Lord Corden's writings were very interesting. He talked about the relationship between alphas and omegas through the centuries but also depending of the different civilisations.

Louis learnt that a lot of pagan religions had worshipped some omega figures. The Vikings feared the Valkyries that were believed to be Odin's warriors. The Valkyries were exclusively females and omegas and were seen as the most dangerous, cruel and skilled warriors. The Egyptians had lots of omega gods as well. Ancient civilisations seemed to have a more balanced relationship between the alphas and omegas. Whereas the alphas were undeniably physically stronger, the omegas were believed to have greater moral and mental powers. They were not seen as the inferior and weak creatures that the modern world made them to be.  
Louis was particularly shocked to learn that a tribe in Ancient Greece, called the Amazons, was entirely ruled by omega and women. Better, nowadays, a lands in Asia next to India and called Bengal had societies where women and omegas were the ones retaining power. The alphas were the ones with the dowries and joining their spouses' family. This made him blush just imagining it.

Louis wasn't the only one to be sad. The whole family had lost a bit of their lustre. But princess Gemma seemed particularly crushed. Niall was often complaining to Louis.

"How can she be so sad? She's known him for a day." the omega was whining.

"I don't know" Louis always replied. "You were the same after a day with Josh. You would have broken down if he had left to war".

"It is not the same" the blond omega always responded. The truth is he wanted to help Gemma and cheer her up but didn't know how to. His helplessness was leaving him perplexed and it was the first time he didn't feel as close to his beloved sibling.

After two weeks of travel, Harry and his men had arrived and met with the General Grimshaw. He wrote often to Louis and to his parents, to describe the toughness of the situation there. Louis slept with the love letters under his pillow, to feel somewhat close to Harry. He tried a maximum to not cry too much while writing heartfelt responses, so that the alpha could still read the writings in spite of the tear stains.

"My prince, I am very pleased and honoured you asked to meet with me. I heard by your professor and my dear friend that you are taking an interest in my work?"

Louis and James Corden were sat in the garden under the kiosk. It was a beautiful sunny day and the lord was eyeing the small omega with interest.

"Yes my lord. Thank you for meeting me. I... took an interest in the omegas' condition after one of my friends was severely abused by his alpha. And I read your essays they are very interesting. That is a fantastic thing that a great philosopher like you would be on our side. So to speak." Louis was a bit shy and his voice was shaking but he really wanted to make a good impression on this highly intelligent man.

"And that is very good that someone as powerful as you takes an interest in his fellow people's struggles." the sir replied. "I am a beta myself. That probably helps me to be more impartial on the matter. But I hate seeing half of humanity being treated as poorly as women and omegas are" he continued.

Louis watched him carefully. The lord was quite short and a bit chubby, with a large sweet face and sparkling eyes. Louis knew already he liked and trusted him.

"So in your last opinion piece, you are talking about things that could be done to improve our condition and give us more rights?" Louis was curious. "Do you think as the prince of England I could have an influence on that?"

"Well to be honest I don't know Louis". The omega wasn't offended by the use of his name, he felt happy the man wanted to treat him with such familiarity. "I don't know how much political influence you have at court with your husband and with the king. But that is still more than I or anyone else probably has so that is a good start."

This made Louis think. The truth is he didn't have any influence or actually he never tried to have any. Besides, he probably could convince Harry, but Harry was at war far away. He never really talked to the king and never about important matters. So he truly didn't know at all if he would be listened to.

"I don't know Sir." he replied honestly. "I never took part in the political side at court. But this is an issue I am ready to fight for" his tone was a bit more convincing and Lord Corden smiled brightly.

"Well there is a chance then"

They talked about the charity the lord had created and which goal was to give shelter to women and omegas that were assaulted by strangers or worse, beaten up by their husbands or family.

"The problem is that we don't have any legal recognition and we can't really protect these people. Because if the abuser comes to claim his spouse we have to hand them to them. Because legally their are in the right and they are their properties"

"So what could be done?" Louis whispered.

"I have been working with a few of my lawyer friends and we came up with a law proposal that would enable us to keep the victims until experts -that could be the police or doctors or even priests- determine if their is abuse for sure. In this case the husband couldn't get his spouse back until he proves he won't be violent again."

Lots of questions rushed through Louis' head

"But omegas probably will never denounce their alphas in the first place. They would be too scared and they also probably think it is normal to get beaten up"

"Yes that is one of the big problems where law couldn't help. That is why we have to educate both omegas and alphas on the subject. Make mentalities change. It will take time but it can be done. But it also has to be backed up by the law." the philosopher explained.

"But it is questioning the entire order of our civilisation. And the bible as well..." Louis' head was spinning a bit.

"Not completely. You read my books right? You see how I explain the omegas and alphas were more equal in ancient civilisations?" Louis only nodded. "Well even the bible says the omegas have to be faithful to their alphas and pleasure them. But nothing else. That it means the alphas have all rights on their omegas is quite a modern interpretation of it. Saying it is not a good interpretation isn't reconsidering the foundations of our civilisation. I would say it is actually going back to them. Where omegas were more respected and better considered"

After a moment of silence Louis promised he would try to talk to the king. When he left, Sir Corden hugged him like they were best friends.  
"England is lucky to have a brave and intelligent omega prince like you Louis."

 

The news from the front were not good. The royal army had lost a lot of men already and each battle was costing more and more. Both sides had begun to dig trenches to protect themselves from the enemies assaults. Now that the weather was better, they used their arquebuses again. Harry even ordered that the cannons were loaded with cannonballs attached together with chains. The projectiles were piercing the lines like butter, cutting the soldiers in halves or dismembering them. The Dutch lords and their armies proved to be excellent warriors and their presence, combined with Harry's and the backup troops lifted up the morale of the English camp. However the war dragged on and seemed to promise to be still long and deadly. Indeed, the Scots and their Danish allies were fierce and skilled soldiers as well. No adversary had a real advantage for now.

Liam Payne also came with the news that the war between France and Austria had started. The empire and their allies were facing France, joined by Prussia and Spain. Félicité's husband, the Spanish prince, was leading his men while Henri had taken command of the French troops. It was a tug of war and both sides were merciless. However the Austrian had other problems with another front opened on their eastern borders where the troops of the Sultan were looming. They had entered Europe through the Balkans that didn't resist at all and arrived at the doors of the Hungarian-Austrian empire within weeks.

 

Louis was daydreaming about his beautiful Harry on a white horse, in his war armour. He was swirling around, surrounded by chaos and death, looking more beautiful than ever. Louis was scared for him but also quite aroused.

"Louis? Louis! Would you please read the paragraph two and explain its meaning" asked his professor, apparently not for the first time. Louis shook himself off his dream and look down on his book. He was lost, he hadn't listened the lesson for quite a while and didn't know at all where they were. He shot a glimpse at Gemma's book next to him and saw that they were three pages ahead of him. He turned the pages and began to read hurriedly without understanding anything he was saying. He had no idea what the text talked about. Gemma discreetly pushed her sheets of paper next to him and he saw she had written a few lines to explain de chapter to Louis. He blessed her silently and read Gemma's sum up as an explanation. The professor seemed happy with his answer and went back to explaining something. Louis sent a thank you whisper to the princess who just smiled sadly. Everything she did recently was sad. 

At the end of the lesson, she run out, forgetting her papers and when Louis grabbed them to return them to her, a letter fell from the bunch. It wasn't Gemma's writing. The letters were small, scribbled with haste. Louis read a few lines. It was from the Duke of Wales. And these letters were not innocent gallant letters. They were love letters, pure and simple, inflamed and passionate, even more than Harry's ones for Louis. Louis didn't know what to make of it. It wasn't a surprise they corresponded, it wasn't even a surprise they expressed some tender feelings but these bold terms were actually very improper for their situation. They were not married, not even promised. Louis didn't dare think about the Queen's reaction if she heard of it. He put the letter back in the middle of the papers and hurried to court. 

He wanted to talk about the matter of omegas with the Queen first. He had thought about it and it seemed to be a good solution. She liked Louis and he was closer to her than to the King. She was also far more approachable. Finally she had the King's ear so that was a good plan. When he asked for a private audience with her she frowned first, taking in the small shy posture of her son-in-law.

"Well sure Louis" she answered. They went to a corner of the room far from the other nobles. "What is it dear?"  
He exposed the problem as clearly as he could, only stuttering a few times. He got more and more assured as he went and finished in a calm and poised manner. The Queen eyed him for a long time in silence and then whispered:  
"You are very convincing Louis. And I know your lord Corden's work. I agree with his ideas. So you want me to talk to the King?" she asked. "He is a good man Louis but quite traditional. I don't know. Also with the war I am not sure it is the good time..."

"But he is a good man you say. And he has an omega son and a daughter. Surely he wants the best for them. I am sure he would want to do something" Louis said stubborn. The queen laughed a bit endeared by this obstinate tiny omega.

"Yes I will talk to the king. I think you are right, it is time to do something if we can" she smiled. "oh Louis, I wanted to tell you something" she added. "I will announce it tonight at dinner, but since you are here, I can tell you I am so excited! Niall is going to marry! This is accomplished. They finished the negotiations and agreed. He is leaving for Ireland in two weeks!" She hugged Louis excitedly.

"wow this is so... sudden" Louis exclaimed against her breast. "I mean this is great, but yes, so quick"

She became a bit sadder. "Yes I know. And we will miss him greatly. But he will be so happy! They love each other very much. We need more love in these terrible times"

The news of Niall's close departure didn't help to brighten Gemma up. She was coming to class every morning with red rimmed eyes and dark rings under her eyes. It was evident she cried at night. She clang to Niall and Louis during the afternoons and Louis could see that the blond omega was doing everything to cheer her up. He never had seen him so soft and attentive. The dreaded day arrived nonetheless and Niall hugged them on last long time before climbing in the carriage with Zayn, that would bring him to Ireland.

After the departure of her brother, Gemma was only the shadow of herself. She seemed so sad and so pale, and she lost so much weight that the Queen actually had her examined by the Royal doctor. The old man concluded she was in a depressed state over having lost the company of both her brothers in such a short time. He prescribed she rested a lot and drunk a weird cocktail every morning that Louis thought smelled like hay. 

One night, Louis was re-reading the latest of Harry's letters at the light of his candle when he heard a small scratch at his door. That was the door that was communicating with Harry's apartments and it was locked and unguarded. That was very suspicious and first Louis thought he had dreamt, but the scratching happened again. Someone wanted to enter. He was ready to go find the guards that were outside the main door when he heard a whisper:  
"Lou open the door! Lou are you sleeping? I can see light" it was Gemma.

Louis rushed to the door and opened it. He was faced with the princess in her night shirts and a thin dressing gown. There under the light of the candle she had in her hand, she looked like a ghost, eyes full of tears and cheeks hollowed.

"Can I? Can I sleep with you tonight Lou? I feel so lonely. I want to be with someone. Please" she whispered in a voice broken by small sobs.

"Of course Gem, come on in". He ushered her inside. "Do you want some tea? I have water it is hot still" he gestured to the teapot on his night table.

"No I am alright. Can you just hug me?" she asked shyly.

They slept wrapped around each other and Louis had to confess it was really comforting for him too, to feel a harm and gentle embrace around him. After that night, they began to sleep together nearly everyday. Gemma seemed to get a bit better and Louis only wished she could become her sass-queen-self again soon.

 

"And how do you know that my prince" Maximilian asked without emotion.  
Harry had just exposed his strategy to bring down the castle of one of the Scottish lords. They couldn't do a siege because they needed their men and canons for the principal battle. But Lord Lucas had sent him a coded letter exposing the weaknesses of the building. The cunning lord had been accepted by the rebels, as predicted, and took his mission as a double agent with heart. He showered Harry with interesting information on the strategies of the Scots and on their locations and strengths. The prince had to admit he was a precious help.

The castle was constructed over a few networks of natural caves. And one of the tunnels arrived into the castle. Only a handful of people knew it and it was used as an underground passage by people the lord didn't want to be seen.

"Because I have an informant. A double agent who is close to the Scottish leadership. He knows there is this passage. We should enter from there. Probably put a bomb inside first and then all enter during the panic"

He watched Ed that was calmly sat at his side, like the situation didn't concern him in the slightest.

"We will attack tonight and in the morning the castle will be ours!" Harry growled. "It is a good place, we will be able to transform it into a hospital for our soldiers. Better than leaving them to die in this piles of mud" he whispered angrily.

The Dutch lords, Ashton and Harry's generals agreed. They selected a few of their men to run the attack. It was decided Ed would be the one to set the bag of powder and the fuse that would make the bomb. Harry was in his dark fighting mode, couldn't wait to seize the castle and have the enemy lord beg for mercy.  
The plan went as said. Ed put the bomb without being seen and the deflagration opened a big breach into the castle's dining room. Harry and his men charged, benefiting from the smoke and dust to hide themselves. Only a few guards were in the room and were easily killed. But now someone was sounding the alarm and more guards were flooding into the room and facing Harry's men. 

Harry was thirsty for blood. He fought like a demon and was only pleased to see that his men imitated him. Soon they had the advantage and a few of the guards disarmed.

"No quarter" Harry screamed to his warriors and all the guards were killed.

The disorganisation in the Scots' camp was total. As planned Ashton and a few of his men run towards the gates of the castle, to open them and lower the drawbridge to give access for backup troops. Meanwhile Harry and the Dutch ran to the lord's apartments. The man was with a few guards, a sword in his hand and his shaking wife in his back.

"My lord!" Harry said with a dark smile. "Please render yourself and I will spare your people and your lovely lady. Surrender to my authority" he barked.  
They heard the trumpets of the Royal army. It meant Ashton had managed to open the gates and the army was now in the castle. The lord made a defeated face and let his weapon fall on the floor. His guards imitated him.

"Very good!" Harry growled. "That is very good. You see you are reasonable. It would have been even more reasonable to not defy me. You would have kept this lovely castle and this beautiful wife". "Seize them" he added to his men "seize everyone". He left with a big wave of his mantle. But outside something was wrong. When arrived in the courtyard he understood. Some Welsh soldiers were surrounding the young duke who was unconscious with a bleeding would on his side.

"Fucking hell! What happened?" Harrys screamed rushing.

"He was shot by an arquebus my prince" one of the men answered.

A few hours later the doctors went out of the room. He had been examining the young duke for a while. Harry was pacing the corridor up and down.

"So? Will he live?" the prince rushed to the science man.

"Yes my prince. I extracted the bullet and stopped the bleeding. The wound isn't too deep. His highness the duke was very lucky. He needs rest though. I think the best for him would be to be sent back to his castle until complete heeling."

Harry nodded and gave orders accordingly. The next day, Duke Ashton was on the road heading back to Wales.  
The news arrived in London the same day they heard about France's first big defeat against the Austrians. Louis was really worried for his brother and for his brother in law, having received a letter from Félicité informing him she was pregnant. 

Gemma nearly fainted when she heard Ashton had been armed. Louis was thankfully close to her and passed his arm around her waist, supporting all of her weight. The only good news for the day was that the King had listened to his wife and read Lord Corden's book. He was ready to propose and back up the bill to his ministers. Three days after this day, Louis was ready to get into bed, only waiting for Gemma to sneak in. She was a lot late compared to the usual. He didn't know what to do. Maybe the princess wanted to be alone that night. But Louis was worried. He had a bad feeling in his guts. He passed a dressing gown and headed to Gemma's apartments. The young girl was nowhere to be seen. Louis began to panic. He called the guards at the door.

"Have you seen Princess Gemma?" he asked hysterics clear in his voice. The guards said no. Soon, the whole castle was looking for her but they had to accept the evidence, the princess had vanished.


	14. Chapter XIV

The king was holding counsel in his private apartment. His best advisors and Lord Higgins, the head of the security were there. The queen was sniffling in the corner, surrounded by her maids, who made her drink a hot grog to calm her a little.

"So gentlemen, what do you think it is? Do you think she was abducted and by who?" the King's voice was menacing. His eyes shooting raging looks.  
"I want all the guards and our spies to investigate. The Scots, the Danes, the fucking Ottomans since their dog of a sultan wanted her. I want me daughter back or I will have blood for that" he growled.

"Your highness?" an advisor shyly asked "shouldn't we also consider that the princess may have ran away or even..." he didn't dare finish.

"Harm herself" Lord Cowell, the most influential of the royal ministers, concluded for him. "I know it is not pleasant but it is a possibility we have to take into account. The young princess was really depressed these days, it is no secret"

"My daughter didn't run away and didn't harm herself." the king shouted in a voice that put thunder to shame. "But you consider it if you want my lord, I have no interest in your thoughts. All I want is my daughter back"

The ministers left the room, all shaken by the absolute wrath of the king. The searches began. Everyone in the palace was questioned, Gemma's room was rummaged through from top to bottom in research of any clue. But the princess remained missing.  
When they got the news, it took Harry and Ed only two days to come back from the front, having galloped all the way, nearly without any stop. The prince was completely possessed with rage. Louis had never seen him like this, not even after the attack at the theatre.

He knew it was utterly selfish but the omega couldn't help but be so happy to see his alpha again. He rushed and jumped on Harry like a crazy person, clinging at him with all his strength and will. The prince gave him back his embrace, kissing him hungrily and angrily. He didn't even give him time to breath, like he wanted the omega to crawl into him, sink into his body and never leave back. He finally had to pull away. When Louis watched him, he could see Harry's eyes were moist. This crushed the omega even more. This week without Gemma had been absolute hell. Louis was dead worried. He couldn't stop thinking he hadn't seen something capital and had let her down when she needed him the most.

Harry went to meet his father and Louis went with him, not wanting to leave his side for a second. The advisors watched him weirdly but didn't comment on his presence at counsel.  
"Have you investigated the Ottomans?" the prince groaned "the Sultan showed that my father's answer didn't mean much to him when he danced with Gemma all night the evening of the last ball"

"Yes my prince, our spies have conducted inquiry and found nothing. We don't think it is the Sultan"

"Then who?" he thundered. "maybe it is this mole that already ambushed our family, maybe he struck again! You!" he pointed his finger accusatory to Paul Higgins "you actually never found who was the mole, how could you protect my sister then?"

"She was protected" the security man replied. "We had guards at her doors at all times and we actually never knew for sure if their was a mole. She was safe in his apartments every night until she disappeared. We couldn't do anything my lord" he said lower, nearly like an excuse.

Harry snorted meanly "yes I see that"

"Actually she never was in her room at night"  
Everyone turned to Louis who had spoken really lowly with his shy voice.

"What?" the king spat "What do you mean Louis?"

"No she wasn't in her room because she always slept with me" he said voice shaking.

"With you?" the king repeated lost. Louis felt Harry's dark glare on him and went on.

"Yes after Niall's departure, she was really sad and she would come to my room and we would... cuddle" he whispered. "I was missing Harry and she was so sad because of Niall and because of duke Ashton..."

"Duke Ashton?" Harry asked suddenly "What does he have to do with that?"

Louis hesitated. He didn't want to betray Gemma's secret about the letters, but he couldn't lie to Harry either.

"She is really in love with him" he said low "they wrote each other a lot"

"Have you found any of these letters in her chamber?" the King asked turning to Sir Higgins and the guards. They shook their heads.

"Lord Ashton!" Harry let out behind greeted teeth "I treated him like a brother, a brother in arms. Some friend he is!"

He stormed out of the room, Ed on his hills. That left Louis alone with the king and all the other men. He didn't know what to do and just retreated to his chambers in the indifference. Harry was out on his horse in the hour and rode like a fury to Wales, where he arrived the day after in the early morning.

 

Harry and Ed made a dramatic entrance at the court of Wales. The prince just pushed the chamberlain who was begging them to wait to be introduced and came in the reception salon, his hand on the handle of his sword. When he saw the face of Duchess Caroline falling at his sight he knew. He was sure.

"Where is your precious little brother my lady" he screamed through the room. All love and friendship was gone from his tone. He looked ready to kill anyone would come in his way.  
"Where is he this traitor, this dog that took my sister, the princess of England, the daughter of his Highness his king?". His eyes were bulging out of his orbs and his mouth was twisted in a cruel rictus. Without waiting for the answer he just run towards the Duke's apartment, hearing the duchess scream his name in his race. 

He slammed the door open and found the young man in his bed, Gemma was at his bedside. Of course she was there.

"You! YOU!" the prince spat with all the disdain in the world. He climbed on the bed, walking over the comforter. He bent down in front of the Duke who was petrefied and silent. He grabbed his nightshirts at the collar and pulled him towards him so they were face to face, only centimetres separating them. The young man hissed in pain because the position stretched on his wound at the side. Harry didn't care at all and dragged him out of the bed, before throwing him on the floor.

"I treat you with all honours, like a brother, I protect you at the front, and to thank me you fucking kidnap my sister?". The hate of his voice was echoing against the walls. Ed prevented the guards who had gathered at the door of the chamber to enter. He let the duchess come in though. She was out of breath for having run after Harry from the reception room.  
The duke was on the floor, trying to catch his breath. Harry's rage was overwhelming. He took his dagger out of his sheath and was ready to jump on Ashton. Caroline screamed loud with a high pitched voice:

"No! Harry! I beg you please, please!". 

But it didn't get the prince out of his vengeful trance. Gemma jumped on her brother, holding his arm.

"No Harry! Stop! Don't do that! If you love me as you say, you won't harm him!" He let his arm fall down.  
"For me" she repeated. "Don't harm him for me, Harry"

The prince put his dagger back at his waist and closed his eyes tight to calm himself. He harshly grabbed Gemma's arm and dragged her towards the exit before barking "Take him, put him in a fucking carriage, we are heading back to London!" to Ed. He pushed the guards that were gathered at the door before adding "and the Duchess too".

Harry was leading the way, followed by Gemma's coach and Ashton's carriage. Caroline had refused to get in it and was riding next to Harry. Ed was closing the procession.

"Harry. Harry listen to me" the Duchess begged. "I couldn't say anything. They made me promise to not tell until they were married. They wanted to tell your family as soon as it was done. They love each other so much. What did you want me to do?"

The prince just watched her with disdain. Gemma had fled London helped by Ashton's men and they got married in secret after she arrived in Wales. It was a private ceremony done at night with only the two young nobles, Caroline and a friar from a nearby monastery. The thought of it made him want to puke and chop the duke's head off.

"Please my lady, don't serve me your nonsense. Maybe they were enough to convince my innocent sister but not me". he grunted threatening.

"But it is the truth Harry, he loves her!"

"He loves her? He LOVES her?" he asked hysterical. "If he loved her so much he wouldn't have abducted her, leaving her family in worried agony, he wouldn't have married her like she was a vulgar farm girl, he wouldn't have dishonoured her, disgraced her!" He posed to swallow and calm his tone. "Maybe if he loved her as much he would have asked for her hand to my father" he finally spat.

"Come on Harry, you father would have never accepted. My brother is a minor lord..."

The prince cut her "so he just stole her like the fucking scum he is! How do you know they wouldn't have accepted. And if they didn't how dare he think he is better suited to Gemma than whom my parents would have chosen. This is no love, this is selfishness. He took her because he wanted to, without any regards to what was the best for my sister"

"Harry..."

"Enough!" he barked. "Keep your excuses for the king" he fastened his pace to get ahead of the Duchess.

They had to stop at a travellers inn for the night and Harry took a room with Gemma. The princess was quiet, ashamed. Her brother could see she probably had cried during the whole trip.

"You are... you are ok Gem?" the alpha asked softly "did he... did he do anything to you?" he whispered.

She watched him dead in the eyes. "We are married Harry, what do you think?"

The prince sat on the bed and took his face in his hand.

"He loves me Harry. He is the only one who ever wanted me..." The alpha let a sad incredulous laugh.

"Don't tell me you believe that, you stupid little girl. Gemma of course you had tones of suitors. Lots of people wanted you. Since you are thirteen you probably had more than fifty! You are the king's daughter for fuck sake! Even if you were ugly you would have the world at your feet!"

Gemma opened her mouth in shock.

"And you are very far from ugly" Harry added softly. "Mother and Father never told you about the suitors because they didn't want you to oppose their decisions. They wanted to find the right man for you. Someone who would let you be yourself, strong and independent. How could you be so silly and run away with the first fop who came along?!"

"I...I... It is not what happened. I love him Harry and he loves me. The suitors don't change anything."

He watched her silently and then softly whispered: "I hope so Gemma. I hope you are not mistaken". He hugged her and she melted in his embrace.

"I am sorry. I didn't want to create a fuss. I... I didn't want to worry you and mother. And father" she added looking a bit scared "It is just, I felt so lonely". She was close to tears now and Harry couldn't take it.

"It is alright. We found you and you are safe. That is all that matters".

They arrived in London after three days and the Queen jumped on Gemma giving her an absolute bone-crushing hug.

The Duke was presented to the King in counsel. He was absolutely furious but powerless. The marriage had taken place, it was consummated. There was nothing to be done. They organised a small reception hurriedly to make it official. Princess Gemma was glowing when she opened the ball of their marriage party. But Harry couldn't rejoice. Louis knew it. He was constantly bad tempered and watched Ashton like he was a bug to be crushed, or like he was a gazelle and Harry was a very hungry lion. At night also, Harry was agitated and they hadn't done anything. Louis didn't care that much as long as the alpha hold him close against his heart.

The duchess, the duke and his bride soon were on their way back to Wales. But the prince made sure they were accompanied by a contingent of Royal guards who would stay with them from now on. When she heard the news Caroline came thundering in Harry's office, where he was studying news of the front with Ed.

"My Lord, I hear we are being escorted to Wales? And that those guards will stay with us in our castle? Do I have to remind you that Wales is independent?"

"No you don't my Lady" Harry answered uninterested. "Besides, these guards are for your protection. Now that my dear sister lives with you, royal guards certainly must ensure her safety"

"For protection?" the duchess snorted "for spying on us you mean. To control us and have us prisoners in our own castle!"

Harry's forehead creased in his best acting display "Of course not, my lady it is _only_ for protection. I wouldn't have your security compromised. You are now _all_ so dear to my heart."

She weighted him up before spitting "You've changed Harry. Where is the nice, cheeky boy that I knew?"

He snorted. "I haven't changed my lady. I rose to the occasion, to my task as a prince. Where I must be ready to be betrayed even by those who I considered my friends"

She watched him sadly one last time before turning around to leave.

"And you would be wise to advise your darling brother to rise the same." he said to her back "Because if unfortunately for him, he looses my sister's affection, I won't hesitate to kill him".

 

Louis gave a long tight hug to Gemma. He was really happy for her. She was glowing really. And seemed to be herself again, bright and cheeky.

"Bye Lou. Come visit me soon please!" she said sweetly. "and I will come back often. And we will write. I'll tell you everything"

Meanwhile, Ashton was holding out his hand for Harry to shake. "Farewell brother. I know you despise me now. But I would like to come back help you in the North when I have recovered".

Harry grabbed his hand and crushed it in his fist before pulling the duke closer and whisper in his ear. "No my lord I don't need snakes in my army, I am fighting enough of them already. Besides you are such a poor warrior that you probably would manage to get yourself killed. No, you will stay home, take care of your bride. You will love her, you will spoil her and if I hear one complaint you will meet my wrath" he pulled away with a fake smile and patted his shoulder "have a safe journey brother!"

 

That night Harry had Louis sit on his face. He had his tongue deep into the little omega's ass, impaling him and turning wide so he licked his shivering walls. His hands were on each of Louis' nipples pinching them roughly. Louis' entire body was shaking. He tried to grind a bit on Harry's face, to get him deeper, or to meet the back and forth of his filthy tongue. But Harry gripped his hips and stilled him forcefully. And without any warning he entered one finger alongside his tongue, all the way in. Louis tensed up and his hole clenched but the alpha placed his other hand on the omega's hard dick and he relaxed. He began to stroke him in time with the moves of his tongue and finger. Louis felt he was going to explode. A new sensation was running through his body. He liked it. Being filled up like that and penetrated. Harry was touching erogenous parts in his body he didn't know he had. He felt swamped with the new sensations and began to shake uncontrollably, babbling in French.

Harry stopped and smirked. He loved it so much when Louis was coming undone and didn't make sense any more. He pushed him off suddenly and came over him. But he didn't go to face his head. He went the other way and straddled Louis' chest, presenting him his cock and facing Louis' one. The omega understood immediately and started to suck on the head of his dick, stroking the base and taking him deeper as fast as he could. Harry didn't let him and thrusted inside the heat of Louis' stretched mouth. He heard and felt Louis gag around him, pulled out quickly until only his head was into the omega lips before thrusting harshly all the way back. He fucked Louis' mouth hard and deep, hitting the back of his throat every time. The omega gagged and moaned around his cock and the vibration made him lose his mind even more.

He stroked Louis' member and took it in his mouth as well, without stopping his thrusts. He felt Louis open his mouth even bigger because of the pleasure Harry was giving him. He took him all the way and sucked harshly several time on the small prince's dick. Louis was probably screaming around his cock now. His thighs parted to give the alpha more access and Harry cupped his balls, feeling their weight on his palms. He massaged the scrotum before going back to his hole and pushing his thumb in, turning and twisting it. Louis came in his mouth without a warning, moaning like a whore around him and Harry sucked him clean, keeping him in mouth until he was completely soft. He reported all his attention on his own throbbing coke that was pounding into Louis' mouth like there was no tomorrow. He slowed his thrust a bit, to leave them longer buried deep inside Louis' heat and finally came down his throat. Louis choked and coughed several times. The semen he hadn't managed to swallow fell of the sides of his mouth in long ribbons. Harry hovered towards him and began to lick the leaking cum and spit from the omega's cheeks. Louis was taking deep breathes as well, after his mouth had been fucked for so long.

Harry cuddled his small pliant body, nuzzling into Louis' short hair on the side of his neck.  
"I am going back tomorrow my love"

"I know." Louis whispered because he couldn't talk. "I am thankful I saw you, even for a little bit" he added with tears in his eyes ready to fall. Harry took his chin between his fingers and tilted his head so he could kiss him passionately. Harry was tasting like cum and ass. Louis didn't care, that was a perfect kiss.

But the next day Harry was gone and Louis wondered if it had all been a dream. He was lonelier than ever now. No Harry, no Niall, no Gemma. Ben Winston was renovating the belvedere castle, the other side of the domain so he was never at court. Even Zayn and Liam weren't there, Zayn still in Ireland and Liam back in France to gather information.

At court, Louis tried to stay a bit with the queen and her ladies but he felt so out of place. Besides, Kendalla was still there, now among the favourites of her Highness and Louis couldn't stand her. Once again he turned to Aiden. He always had been a spark of sunshine in the small prince's distress. They began to be together all the time, taking walks or playing croquet in the garden, having lunch, playing cards or listening to music under the kiosk enjoying the last days of summer.

The young tenor made him forget his loneliness and frustration. He was also in summer break from the opera, so he didn't have to train and travel everyday to the city. Both of them had a lot of spare time. Louis explained Lord Corden's theories to Aiden and he seemed interested. The young tenor sang his latest repertoire and Louis was enthusiastic.  
Aiden introduced Louis to a few other young singers from the troupe and they hanged out a lot. Louis didn't really care about them and he knew it was mutual. They were just happy to be close to a prince. But it didn't matter, at least Louis was less lonely. Aiden was always at his side at court, he came to his chambers often and Louis began to have small afternoon gatherings in his apartments when they were too lazy to attend court. They would just play dice and cards and have tea and petits-fours with the singers and a few young nobles. Aiden often came to see him in the evening as well and they just talked about life spread out on Louis' bed. They imagined their futures, told about their dreams and their desires. It was good to feel close to someone. He hadn't been relaxed like that in such a long time.

 

That is why the news smacked him with full force. The first time he heard it, he was going down a corridor and the maids were whispering and laughing.

"Yes! Can you imagine? And he is a beta! The prince must be really desperate, to have him as a lover". At first Louis didn't understand. Who were they talking about? Then he understood. That was him. And Aiden. They were gossiping about them!

The realisation made his head spin. What? Now that he had found a semblance of happiness, they wanted to ruin his friendship with Aiden? With his only friend! He could have cried. He talked about it to Aiden the next time he saw him. The tenor admitted he had heard rumours as well.

"Don't worry my prince, you and me know it isn't true. We will just have to be careful. Maybe a bit more discreet. They will talk about someone else next week."

Louis nodded but the rumours didn't stop. Yet Louis and Aiden were being discreet. They tried to hang out together only in private in the evening hidden in the prince's apartments. During the day, if they were together, they always made sure to be with other people and to avoid too many interactions. But nothing helped. The rumours didn't die down. They even grew.

The first time Aiden handed him a pamphlet with his name, Louis was stunned. The paper was calling him "the French slut" or "French traitor". It said that he was "such a whore that he had to sleep with betas to be satisfied". It detailed all the times Louis and Aiden had hanged out together. The worst was it was very accurate with the dates and hours. All the evenings they had had tea and chatted until Louis went to bed. Everything was there, accusing him of treachery and adultery. The pamphlet concluded in these terms: "How do you want Prince Harry to be the head of this country and run its politics when he isn't even able to control his slutty omega?"

Louis was absolutely crushed. Never had he seen such a vile and degrading thing about himself.  
"What is this?" he asked Aiden, sobs wrecking his voice.

"It is... some people print and distribute these papers to lower opinions on yourself and on Prince Harry. They want to turn people against you with those gossips"

"But... why?" Louis asked, tears running down his face. "It... it is not true. And it is so... insulting! and mean!" He broke down and began to sob.

Aiden hugged him and patted his back. "Louis calm down. These are disgusting. I am sure people don't believe that."

"We... we shouldn't touch" the omega prince said weakly before pulling out of the singer's embrace.

To darken his mood even more he heard that Sir Corden's bill had been refused by the ministers. The king listened to his advisors and had it abandoned. He was even more careful with Aiden now, interacting a strict minimum during the day and seeing him only in his chambers. He also made him use the entry through Harry's apartments that was not guarded. But it didn't help. More and more pamphlets were printed out, their information always accurate about their meetings in the prince's chambers.

"I don't understand! How do they know?" Louis shouted one time he was pacing in his room, Aiden sat on his bed. This made Danielle, who was bringing hot water for their tea, jump and spill some on the floor. Louise rushed to help her and Louis apologized.

"It is all right my prince." Louise said smiling sweetly to the little prince. "My lord, all the people that actually know you know it is only horrible lies" the maid said again and Louis felt his heart warm a little bit.

"Thank you Louise. This is important for me. Thank you" he whispered. She bowed and smiled sweetly again before leaving.

However, when Louis was at court, he could feel the side looks of the lords and ladies. Even some of the Queen's favourite, that knew him quite well, were eyeing him suspiciously. The hostility and tension were evident. It appeared that even the people that knew him, at least a little bit, believed the gossips after all.  
Louis found himself not only lonely but very isolated. And the only thing that was actually soothing was to see Aiden.

He tried to write about it to Eleanor or his sisters but he knew his letters would be opened and he didn't want the members of security to read about him and Aiden. The situation was worse and worse everyday. It was a nightmare.  
One thing that distracted the gossips a little bit was the arrival of Count Isnikov, Kendalla's husband at court. The princess had convinced him to come to England and to take part in the war against the Scots. Both Kendalla and her husband left for the front and new rumours emerged that Harry was treating her like a queen there. Had her sat at his right in meetings and was sometimes very tired for the battles because he had been very busy at night with the Byzantine beauty.

All the gossips made him want to puke. Why did people do that? He hadn't done anything wrong. He was a nice person and Harry would never betray him either. Of course the rumours woke up his irrational fears and jealousy. He had nightmare about Harry sleeping with Kendalla. She was sneaking into his tent at night and riding him until dawn, her magnificent hair caressing their sweaty skins.

 

Ambassador Liam came back from France and asked to see Louis privately. When the omega went to his office, he found him in a compromising position with Danielle, his maid. They were bent on a sofa and the Frenchman was kissing her with passion. Louis was stunned. Then cleared his throat to indicate his presence. Both the lovers jumped in surprise. The maid left the room hurriedly and very red. The ambassador regained his composure amazingly quick. And his face was serious and sad. Louis was prepared for a bad news.

"Louis we are very worried about you." he begun "Your parents are very worried about you. They are urging me to make you realise. Even in Paris we hear of the gossips that have you fornicate with your friend."

Louis opened his mouth to protest but could only produce a small whimper.

"Yes rumours travel quick." the ambassador said "and they are very dangerous. We have to be careful and not underestimate them."

"Do you think Harry heard them?" the small omega asked terrified

"Of course he heard them. Probably everyone did. But it doesn't matter Louis. We have to stop these. They are part of the Scots strategies. They are part of the war and could be more harmful than weapons. You know why they spread these rumours, do you?"

The omega couldn't answer. He was just too miserable.

"They want to sap Harry's authority. Undermine and destroy his reputation. If people think he can't control you, his omega, they will think he is not a suitable leader. They want England to think he wouldn't be a good king! This discredits and weakens the entire monarchy. You have to stop this"

"But how do I stop rumours that are not true?" Louis whimpered in tears. "All these are lies, I don't know what to do Liam"

"You have to stop seeing Aiden my prince. Stop completely."

"But, he... he is my only friend." Louis cried. "and we are so careful..."

"you are not careful enough Louis, they know. They have the hours when you are together listed on their pamphlets." Liam's voice was harsh.

"But if I stop seeing him. That would be like acknowledging it was true I had an affair with him." Louis whispered "shouldn't I just ignore it?"

"No Louis, we are past the phase you can ignore it. You have to cut Aiden out of your life now. And staying close to him would be worse than anything else!"

Louis cried a lot after his encounter with Liam but did what he had to do. He sent a note to Aiden asking him to meet him in the gardens, next to the small labyrinth where he knew nobody would disturb them. Aiden came and was smiling as always but his face dropped when he saw Louis.

"Louis what is it? Are you alright?" the tenor hurried to meet him.

"Yeah... I... Aiden, we have to stop seeing each other. I am sorry"

The young beta let out a small stunned laugh "What do you mean?"

"I mean we can't be friends anymore. I... I am the prince and Harry's husband and I can't let rumours like that run about me. About us." He was crying now. "I am so sorry Aiden, you are my only friend and... I don't know how I am going to do without you. But I need to do that. We have to stop!"

Aiden grabbed his forearms and squeezed them overwhelmed with emotion. The singer was close to tears as well and embraced Louis into a tight hug. Probably their last one. Neither of them let go first and finally they just faced each other, looking into each other's eyes. The singer still had his hands around Louis waist and he imperceptibly pulled him closer. Their foreheads were nearly touching now, their eyes still locked. Aiden was the bravest and closed the gap between them, crushing his lips to those of the small prince. For an instant they gave in to what they were already accused. But Louis felt like he was slapped. After a few seconds only he jumped away, absolutely panicked.

"No. No. NO!" he whispered in hysterics. "We can't do that, we can't! And I love Harry. Oh my god, what did I do? I am such a bad omega"

Aiden tried to take a step towards him, arms ready to hug him again and calm him down. But Louis didn't let him get closer.

"No, don't touch me. You... have to go, please go!"

The singer left Louis alone next to the labyrinth. He left at the same time than the young maid that saw them threw the bushes. She had the hood of her mantle hiding her face and hair and soon she was out of the castle to tell the story to the printers. The very night, pamphlets were counting how the "French omega slut" was having secret kissing rendez-vous in the royal gardens. The town crier were shouting the news in the streets and marketplaces and everyone was rushing to read the degrading piece to get the juicy details.


	15. Chapter XV

It seemed that Europe was set ablaze. 

Besides the conflicts in France, Austria and North England, the Scandinavians were now joining the war. They had invaded Holland within a few days, since the Dutch king was unprepared and unwilling to take part in the conflict.  
They were now attacking England on their East coast, opening a new front against the King and his allies. They had already seized a few minor eastern cities and were getting backups by boat from Holland and Scandinavia. The situation was so critical that the King had to go himself to lead his troops to organise the offensive. He asked assistance to Ireland that immediately sent a part of its navy to help the King. The boats were en route and supposed to arrive very soon. While waiting for them, the King just had to try and contain their enemies' advance. 

But that wasn't it. The Danes, besides helping the Scots were now attacking Prussia. They revived an old claim that the Duchy of Pomerania was actually Danish and not Prussian. France, Spain and Prussia were now fighting in the South against the Austrians and in the North against the Danes. The help of the Ottoman troops permitted Louis' father to divide his army between the two fronts. 

But the truth was even the Sultan's soldiers were facing problems. Whereas they conquered Hungary and most of Austria easily, they were now stuck at the doors of Vienna. The Austrian army, in spite of being outnumbered and weaker in weapons was heroically resisting. The Viennese people were determined to go through a siege and had said they would rather all die than surrender. Bakers from the city baked "croissants" pastries in the shape of the Muslim crescent. And the Austrians climbed the ramparts of Vienna to eat them in full sight of the Ottoman warriors. Like a raillery, a statement they would never let them win.

None of the outtakes of those fights were sure. The two axes of allies were pretty much head to head. The only conflict that seemed to tip one way was the one Harry led. The Scots were finally more and more crushed by the English artillery. The infantry with their arquebuses and crossbows were also very efficient and had the Scots run off in a rout several times. With his generals, Harry had worked out a strategy to isolate and encircle their running enemies, hence making them choose between suicide and capitulation. The prince was more and more confident in their victory. It was a question of time now. 

The precious help of Stan Lucas also permitted them to finally locate Princess Cara and her entourage. They were hiding in the mountains of the Highlands. Harry couldn't wait to finally lead the last offensive and bring her back in chains in London.

 

Meanwhile in London, the people were still talking about the scandalous debauched omega prince. Of course the war was a big part of the conversations, as well as the coming visit to court of Sir Cox, who may have been the Queen's lover. But the alleged cheating of Louis was on everyone's lips. The small prince himself was hiding away in his apartments, too ashamed and terrorized to face the looks at court, the condescending smirks or even the questions from the more daring lords. With the King away fighting, the Queen was now in charge so she didn't have any time for Louis. He felt more isolated than ever and spent most of his time in bed, crying on Louise' shoulder.

Harry hadn't written for a while now and Louis didn't know if it was because he _heard_ or if the fights were so tough that they couldn't send messengers anymore. When he absolutely had to go out of his chamber, he endured the heavy glances of the maids and man-servants as well as the constant whispers. Aiden sent him several letters but Louis destroyed them without even opening them. He just felt too ashamed. He couldn't think about his friend and what they had done without gagging and nearly passing out. Awful visions of Harry coming back and repudiating him kept him awake at night so that he was in a sort of frightened exhausted daze all day.

 

"Please welcome his Excellency Sir Cox, explorer in the name of the English crown" the chamberlain shouted to announce the sailor.  
The Queen had urged her foster brother to come to court as soon as her husband took up arms to go defend the east of the country. In her childhood, Sir Cox's mother was the Queen's nurse so they grew up together. The lord was one of the only persons she trusted blindly. Even if their relationship had always been more complicated than normal brothers and sisters, she knew he would always do his utmost to help her. She ushered the famous explorer in her private chamber.

"Annie!" the man exclaimed visibly emotional "it has been so long darling". They hugged for several minutes and the sailor kissed the Queen's forehead reverently. He had always been in love with her and never hid it. He also knew she had ambiguous feelings for him but would never cheat on her husband. So they always had this complicated relationship of evident affection and unsaid feelings.

"Brother" she smiled, eyes moist "I wish I could see you in other circumstances. Thank you so much for coming. I need you now. England needs you now".

"Ask me and it is yours" he just breathed out.

"I need you to go East, join the Irish navy with our own boats. We need to cut the Scandinavian backups. I am talking about a major naval war. You are the only one I could think of to lead it. The king is already on the front with his troops".  
Within the week, the explorer was leading the English navy to fight with the Scandinavian boats.

 

"Don't stop shooting!" Maximilian was screaming to the gunners. "You shoot until you see a fucking white flag. And in doubt you shoot again if you are not sure it is a white flag!". The warrior was leading the canons on the right flank of their retreating enemies. The disorganised Scots were surrounded by Harry's troops and could only flee in the mountains. But they had to abandon all of their weapons and equipments to do so. Besides the incessant bombardment of the English artillery was making their retreat nearly impossible. General Grimshaw was on the left flank with the cavalry and the archers. The Scots were finished. Their defeat was total. 

Harry, Ed and a few of their men were in an expedition to find Cara and finally have her give up her arms. Lord Lucas told them they were hiding in a small hunting castle that belonged to a local lord. The princess was vanquished, she had nothing else to do.  
When Harry arrived at the castle it seemed unoccupied. The perfidious creature was probably hiding in a last attempt to resist him. He had his men rush inside and search all the rooms but no trace of Cara.

"I don't like that" Ed whispered "I don't like that at all". This empty castle in a remote location looked more and more like a trap, an ambush they had rushed into.  
"Harry my prince we have to go" he suddenly said.

"What is it Ed?" the prince grunted.

"Don't you see my prince? We were led to come here. There is no one here. I have a bad feeling"

Harry felt dizzy for a second. How could they be that dumb? "You think Lucas betrayed us?" his voice was low and raspy.

"I don't know. It is possible. Maybe not. He probably doesn't know everyone of their schemes. Ok let's move now" he added.

Harry called his men but they didn't wait for them. Both of them were now feeling a sense of panic and emergency. Something tragic was going to happen, they could tell.  
While they were racing in the courtyard towards the gates of the castle, they heard the first explosion. The entire building trembled and the walls began to collapse. Another explosion resounded, much closer to them and they were blown away by the deflagration. Harry found himself on the floor, his eyes covered in blood and a strong strident beeping in his ears. Through the ashes and the smoke he could see Ed's body next to him. The spy seemed unconscious. The prince crawled to the red haired man and shook his arm slightly, still stupefied by what just happened. His whole body was hurting even if he could tell he didn't have any serious injury. The blood on his eyes was coming from small cuts on his face and skull caused by the debris. He shook Ed's arm a bit stronger and the spy opened his eyes and seemed to slowly recover.

"Ed! Ed!" Harry tried to speak as loud as he could, after the air had been completely sucked out of his lungs by the strength of the blast. They got up slowly but another explosion had them running again. The walls all around them were collapsing and the drawbridge in front threatened to completely fall into pieces. In a desperate move, both the men gained momentum and jumped as far as they could to cross the bridge. Ed's feet passed through the collapsing wood but Harry grabbed his hands and violently tugged him towards him. Both men fell flat on the hard ground next to where the bridge used to be.

For the second time in a few minutes, Harry got up slowly, his back aching, all his members in pain, his cuts burning. But he was alive. And he was furious.

"That fucking cunt!" he roared and it echoed all around the mountains "I will find you princess and you will regret this".

They heard a small noise coming from the crumbling of a few rocks in a slope next to them. They both looked up and could see a female warrior wrapped in a leather and metal armour. Her short leather skirts let see her tanned and muscled thighs. Her long brown curly hair was cascading free on her shoulders, retained by a leather headband.

"Fucking hell this is Michelle!" Ed screamed to Harry. The prince was the first to react. He took out his bow and arrows and aimed to the woman. She protected herself with her shield but Harry shot again and again. Lady Michelle was now running away, still under fire from Harry's arrows. He changed strategy and aimed for her legs, that would be more difficult to protect in her escape. He let out a nasty smile when they heard her whimper. He had touched her on the calf and she was now limping badly. They tried to run after her, still shooting at her, but they were still too weak and too dizzy. The Viking woman managed to escape. She was quite badly wound though with the arrow in her calf and another one that pierced her shoulder.

"They were waiting for us to come and die here" Ed whispered out of breath. "She stayed behind to make sure we did. Maybe to lit up the fuse. We were fools to come here with only a few men, that we all lost".

"This Cara is crazy Ed. Her army is crushed, she has no troops anymore. Still she doesn't surrender and tries to have me killed."

"I know my lord. She will fight with the strengths born of despair. Until we have her killed, she is threat. A very dangerous one."

They organised searches in the mountains but didn't find the Princess of the Scots. It didn't change de fact that Harry's victory was total. They had either killed or imprisoned the remains of the Scottish army. The rebellion in the North had been put down. Harry received informations from Lord Lucas one week after the castle incident. The princess had fled to Scandinavia where she was conspiring again. 

The prince left a few of his troops to make sure the region remained peaceful and victoriously headed back to London, where he was awaited as a hero. Even Louis, in his isolated and desperate state heard the news of Harry's coming home. The few days of waiting were absolute torture. Soon, the little omega would know what fate would be his. He wasn't even sure to be able to face the alpha.

The whole castle was seething with excitement. The prince was coming back. He had defeated the enemies troops with brio. A big ball was to be held at night to congratulate the war heroes. Louis was hiding in his room, more anxious than ever. He knew his alpha was in the castle but he hadn't requested to see him yet. He felt that if he had to attend the party and face all these hostile faces, he would just die. At 7 pm, Louis still had not heard of Harry and was slowly thinking that maybe he could avoid to go to the ball. Maybe he could stay safely hidden in his room. He was buried under his sheets, trying to not be sick with worry.

Suddenly somebody slammed the door between his room and the common chamber open. Ii was him. It was Harry. He had a small stubble and looked even more manly and dangerous than before. His slightly longer curls framed his perfect angry face. His eyes were glaring at the small omega. Black replaced green and threat replaced tenderness. Louis tried to bury himself even more under the sheets, make himself even smaller. He could not look at his alpha.

"Well" the English prince grunted "I see you are boiling with joy to see me again". His tone was as cold as ice, sharp and painful like a blade.

Louis whimpered. He was going to throw up. Harry had never talked to him like this. Like he was a vulgar stranger, even an enemy.

"Yes" he sobbed pathetically "I am really happy to see you". His voice was a whisper and he couldn't watch Harry in the eyes. He was grabbing the sheets around him and his knuckles were white.

"Fantastic then. Get ready for the ball Louis" he ordered coldly. The small omega began to cry.

"No Harry, I... I feel sick. I can't go. I... don't make me attend please" he was begging now, tears falling along his cheeks. He was probably the definition of pathetic. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't go to the ball, that was beyond his strengths.

Harry growled and violently grabbed his forearm before dragging him out of bed.

"Oh yes you will come" he said in his alpha voice. "You will come and you will be at my side. For my party. Like the good omega you are." 

Louis begun to cry harder. Harry pulled him towards the wardrobe and furiously rummaged in the clothes. "And you will wear your most conspicuous outfit, your most garish one. That will put even Lady Kendalla to shame."  
The prince took out a bright purple, red and gold outfit and threw it to Louis. "Everyone will notice you. Not that you need that to be noticed, do you" he added bitterly. "And you will behave like the self-confident, bold and scandalous omega I heard about when I was away fighting"  
"No fucking tears, none of this weak nonsense. You will make me proud tonight!" he added threatening in his alpha tone.

He headed to the door and shouted for Louise and Danielle to have the small prince ready. "And put some blush on his face, he looks like death" he added before getting out of the room.

The whole party was a nightmare for Louis. Harry had him cling at his arm and presented him to all his generals and war heroes. Harry was laughing and smiling bright and twirling around at the busy party. Talking to every guests, joking here, flattering there. And he dragged Louis along his side. Poor Louis who was absolutely mortified, faking smiles in his flamboyant outfit. Harry even seemed to get a wicked pleasure to involve him in the conversations, have him mutter a few words to the very ones who were accusing and shaming him before. 

Then Harry danced with Louis, opening the ball in front of all the guests, having him show off his moves, forcing the dance to be provocative, even sexual. Shame made Louis dizzy. He couldn't breath properly and had to cling to Harry. Harry who had his strong grip on him, often squeezing him just a bit too tight, just a bit too rough.  
Then Harry went on with Louis' torture. He had him dance with all his men, with the alphas of the court, with some betas as well. That was as if he wanted to parade the small omega. Have him strut around so everyone could see how much of a slut he was, in his scandalous outfit. He felt like an animal on display, exhibited like the tiger Kendalla had given them. 

The worst part of the night came when the Royal opera performed a small gig. Aiden was singing the solo part. Of course he was. The room had gone completely quiet. Extraordinarily tensed and heavy. You could cut the thick atmosphere with a knife. The nobles of the court watched between the tenor and the throne where Harry was sitting, Louis glued on his lap. It was like a game of jeu-de-paume. They were waiting for the prince's reaction to the presence of his omega's lover. You could see some people smirk or snicker, ready for the humiliation of the small French prince.

But it didn't happen. When the singers came to individually meet and greet Harry, the prince didn't react. He shook hands with Aiden like he did with all the other ones. Louis could feel him tense just a bit more, but that was it. No scandal. No fight. Not even an ironic remark. Louis wasn't sure what was worse. If Harry had humiliated him and beaten Aiden up in front of everyone, or that Harry actually didn't care at all. Louis wasn't even worth his anger and possessiveness.

And then, the alpha made Louis _dance_ with Aiden. They waltzed in the middle of the room, before the astound audience. Louis was borderline passing out and Aiden had to carry nearly all of his weight during the dance. As if it wasn't enough, Harry made a small gesture of his fingers to signify they should dance the next one as well. Louis was shaking. He understood. That was Harry's punishment. To make him the most miserable possible. To torture him and even reinforce the cheating rumours by making him dance with the beta.

At the end of the second dance, Harry got up of his throne and came to take Louis in his arms to waltz with him now. He watched Aiden in the eyes for a second before bending down, pushing Louis backwards, exposing his neck and licking the bonding scar. Aiden opened his mouth in shock, a few of the guests, that were close enough to see, gasped. Licking an omega's bonding mark was such a private and tender gesture that it was reserved for the bedroom, utterly inappropriate with company. 

Louis whimpered. That was another way to shame and expose him. But he also felt strangely relieved and calmer after his alpha had licked their mark. His body relaxed a bit and stopped shaking as much. His vision became less blurry. He felt a wave of warmth and peace travel along his spine. Harry didn't leave him time to adjust more and had him turn and dance and twirl on the floor of the ballroom.

It was two o'clock in the morning and Louis was exhausted. Not only physically after dancing with all the lords the country was counting. But completely and utterly drained mentally, from his constant efforts not to collapse, curl and sob in front of everyone. Harry hadn't left him one minute of respite. Always at his side exhibiting him or having him dance with someone. The prince forced the omega to stay until the end, even when he was dropping with tiredness and Harry had to support all of his weight. They went to bed only when all the guests had left.

Louis didn't talk and let Harry take off his ridiculously gaudy outfit. His gestures were rough, not caring. Louis was prepared for Harry to take him now. Fuck him hard like the slut he was. He didn't have any will or strength to fight. He even thought he deserved it. He deserved it all. Harry had already been very nice not to completely humiliate him publicly. 

But the alpha didn't touch him. He passed his night shirts over his head, pushed him to bed and left, just letting out a cold "We will talk tomorrow. Sleep now" in his alpha voice. Louis couldn't believe it. He violently sobbed. Even his alpha, that was hormonally programmed to want him, couldn't make himself touch him since he was such a slut. Finally, the omega passed out, curled on himself. The morning came fast, Louis was woken up by the bed sinking under Harry's weight. The alpha was sitting on the side, watching Louis coming to consciousness. He didn't seem as angry as the day before. But his expression was unreadable.

"Harry I am so sorry" Louis begged, feeling the tears coming and ready to fall. "I know I deserved yesterday. Thank you so much for being so magnanimous. I know that i deserved to be shamed..."

"Louis you don't understand" Harry's voice was soft, not tender but not mean. "It was the only solution to have those rumours stop. To have you and me attending the ball and have you dance with everyone and show off like you are not ashamed of anything. To have you dance with this fucking singer" His tone was more angry now, but still contained. He wanted to explain, he wanted Louis to understand. "Now that everyone saw that I wasn't mad and that I backed you up, rumours will stop. They will know it was bullshits."

Louis couldn't believe what he heard. After all he had done, after he had been the worst omega ever to walk on the planet, Harry had made him face the rumours. Harry had carried him and supported him and hold him up and pushed him so he appeared innocent. Had forced him to behave like he wasn't ashamed, like he wasn't annoyed by the gossips, like he had a clear conscience and nothing to fear or regret. Louis began to sob harder. He didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve his alpha.

"I don't deserve.... I don't deserve that" he managed to let out between sobs.

Harry got up from the bed and stood up fiercely. "I won't have those rumours going around about me" he growled. "I won't have those disgusting rumours running about you" he added softer. " I won't have your honour compromised".

Louis took his head in his hands. The shame and guilt were physically hurting now. Harry didn't understand. He was standing for him but he didn't get it.

"But Harry! It... is... it is TRUE" he finally managed to scream in between the sobs that were shaking his body.

Harry didn't move, just watched him with his unreadable expression. Louis began to whisper, completely hysterical.

"We kissed only once Harry. I promise we kissed once and I couldn't, I pulled out after a few seconds. I love you so much Harry. I am so sorry. I don't know why. But I was so sad and alone and you weren't there. And he was there. And I love you, please, please I am so sorry..." He continued to rumble and beg, Harry was still saying nothing, still watching him, like he was studying him, like he wanted to see what was inside. He didn't look mad. He didn't look happy. He didn't look anything. His expression was just neutral, maybe politely interested.

"I promise you Harry I love you so much. I know you could repudiate me, I would understand. I was so bad but i am so sorry. Please Harry don't be mad..."

Louis litany was interrupted by Harry's small voice. "I am not mad Louis" he whispered. He sounded resigned, like he was so far away, maybe behind a thick wall or under water.

Louis stopped his begging on the spot. "You... you are not?" he asked shyly. He didn't know how to react. He didn't know what to do.

The prince took a long drag of air and expired slowly. "Listen Louis. Yes I am mad, of course I am mad. I am mad at the situation. I am mad at myself." He breathed heavily again before continuing. Louis was shell shocked. "It is my fault. I should have come back as soon as I heard the first rumours. I would have been able to stop them easily. Nip them in the bud. But I was fighting and I let it become worse. And I left you alone here, completely alone without any help. And we just mated and you are _thirteen_. God" he gasped clearly near sobbing. "And this Aiden" he pronounced the name with such disgust that Louis jumped "as much as I want to kill him, take his guts out with my bare hands" he closed his eyes and sighed "he was there and I wasn't. And I am thankful to him that you weren't alone" he finished in a whisper.

Louis was crying uncontrollably now, unable to completely process that Harry wasn't mad. That Harry still loved him and even blamed himself for his disgusting mistakes. He started to beg and whisper excuses again. "Harry I am so sorry. Harry I love you, I am so sorry I didn't mean to, please forgive me. I love you, I love you"

The alpha came back and dropped on the bed next to Louis. He touched him slowly, hesitantly. "Lou, Lou shhhh listen to me". The omega looked at him and saw his eyes were soft and loving again. Harry finally embraced him and Louis hugged him with all his strengths, like it was the last time. Like he would die if he let go. He drenched the alpha's shirt in a matter of seconds but Harry didn't care and hugged him tighter. "You are already forgiven Lou" he whispered in his hair, gently kissing the skull. He rocked back and forth to appease the hysterical omega. "I hope you forgive me" he added and Louis shook his head like he was possessed.

"No Harry, Harry. I don't have to forgive anything. I am the bad bad omega. You are perfect. I love you" he wasn't making any sense, just rambling in between his tears. Finally he fell asleep, drained by the shock of the news and feeling the backlash of all these weeks of worry and lack of sleep. Harry kept rocking him back and forth in his arms for a bit before carrying him in their nuptial chamber and tucking him in their large bed. Louis slept the whole day and the whole night, as if the relief completely knocked him out.

Louis woke up the next morning, the firm grip of his alpha around his middle. He had to take a few moments for the events of the last few days to come back. He couldn't believe Harry had forgiven him so easily. He couldn't believe how perfect Harry was and how much he loved him. He crawled closer to him and nuzzled against his collarbones. The alpha moaned softly in his fluffy hair.

"You are awake love" Harry mumbled before kissing his skull lightly. Louis could feel the prince's hard dick against his legs. He was excited himself. The warmth and scent of his alpha surrounded him. He was overwhelmed by his beauty and perfection. He felt safe, loved and desired for the first time in so long that he panted against Harry's neck even before the prince touched him. But they were interrupted by a loud knock on their door.

"Fucking hell" Harry grunted lowly before answering out loud "Come back later!" But another knock resounded and Ed spoke behind the door.

"Harry, my prince, I am afraid it can't wait. Can I come in?". The alpha sighed heavily, let go of Louis and jumped to go open the door.

"What is it?" he snapped at the spy.

"Danielle, Louis' maid, she disappeared my prince" Ed answered.

"What? You are coming for that?" the prince asked angrily

"She isn't in her room, she wasn't at her duties this morning and nobody saw her since yesterday" Ed continued unaffected.

"So?" Harry asked uninterested."She is probably visiting a lover, or went to the market, what do I know?" he shrugged.

"No! My prince you don't understand!" Ed said frustrated. "She probably fled. We found these in her room." He handed a few sheets of paper to the prince. Harry frowned, he began to understand.

"What are those?" he grunted

"List of dates and hours, she was recording every time Louis and Aiden were together. _She_ was the one selling out the informations to the papers."

"What? WHAT?" Harry roared. "Danielle! She was Louis' personal maid..."

"That is not it" Ed interrupted "we also found these" he handed another paper covered with Roman numbers and signs "these are codes my lord. Coded letters. She was the Scottish mole. She was the one sending them informations!"

"Fucking hell" the prince cursed "She was with Louis all the time! She could.... she could have killed him anytime! She could have killed us all!" he roared "thankfully she was a sleeper agent because our security is so... so incompetent..." He didn't finish his sentence and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Search everywhere" he finally said "find her and tell Lord Higgins I will talk to him!"

"We are already looking for her my prince. But she is probably far already. She fled when she knew the Scots were beaten for sure. We are decoding the letters, it will probably give us informations." The spy said before leaving.

Harry put on clothes angrily. Louis was on the bed, dumbfounded. Danielle was the spy. She was the one that made his life a nightmare. She was the one telling the rumours to the papers. That made so much sense. She knew when Aiden was in his room at night. She was always there, she was the one bringing them tea or changing the candles. He couldn't believe it. It hurt so much. She wanted him dead, she was the one that permitted the ambush at the theatre!

Fully clothed, Harry rang the bell that was at the head of his bed. Louise arrived a few seconds later and the prince grabbed her throat and pushed her violently against the wall in front of a petrified Louis.

"Now Louise, you wouldn't betray us, right?" the prince whispered threatening. "You wouldn't dare to hurt my Louis?" The maid was shocked and her eyes were full of terror. Harry strangled her even tighter and shook her violently.

"Speak! You didn't know anything of Danielle's spying activities, did you? You would never be that stupid to betray us?" he screamed. Louise managed to shake her head, suffocating and terrified. Louis jumped out of the bed, begging Harry to stop. He let go of the maid and she fell on the floor, coughing and taking long deep breaths. The omega helped her to get up.

"You are dismissed" Harry simply said. "You will be interrogated today, don't talk about this to anyone" he added angrily. The maid nodded, bowed and left as quickly as possible, her eyes full of unshed tears. Louis stayed petrified, arms dangling and unsure of what to do. Harry let himself fall on a chair at his desk.

"Louis, Ed will stay with you at all times now when I am not with you." he said, his tone cold and tired "I will not have your security compromised ever again. This castle is a pit of snakes. They breed here better than in their natural habitat." He passed his hands in his curls "And your friend Aiden will be sent on tour with the Royal Opera. Several European courts asked for shows. It is already arranged" he finished softly.

"Harry..." Louis began but was interrupted by the arrival of Paul Higgins. Harry gave the little omega a once-over and asked him to pass a dressing gown over his night shirts to be more decent. He copiously shouted at lord Higgins about the incompetence of his security. He asked that every single member of the personnel was interrogated and their rooms and belongings searched. The head of security couldn't leave faster after the prince's telling off.

"Harry!" Louis finally repeated when the man had left "I... Once I went to Liam's office and I... I saw him and Danielle kissing" he voice was weak and shivering. He couldn't believe Liam could be a traitor. Why would he do that when he was a French citizen and Harry's good friend? But he couldn't help it. Ever since Ed told all these horrible stuff about Danielle, all he could see was the maid and the ambassador kissing, bent over the sofa in the man's office.

"They... they were kissing? You are sure?" Harry looked like he had been struck by thunder, completely despondent. "No that is no... not possible" he mumbled. He grabbed Louis' hand and headed to Liam's office. He didn't want to leave Louis alone ever again.

They arrived at Liam's office and the man was at his desk, reading some papers. The prince cleared his throat to signal their presence. Liam turned over and his face fell when he saw the princes at the door.

"Harry? what is it?" he asked. His tone was worried. The alpha didn't answer. Just watching the ambassador intensely. "Louis? what is it?" Liam tried again when he saw the alpha wasn't responding.

"Tell me it is not true" Harry finally let out, emotional.

Liam looked like his worst nightmare had come true. "No Harry, wait I can explain. We can explain. It isn't what you think. It isn't that bad..." the French began to beg.

"You can explain?" Harry repeated dumbfounded. "You can EXPLAIN? Why you betrayed us, me, Louis, your own country! Why the Scots Liam?" the prince let go of Louis' hand and took a step towards the Frenchman, ready to tear him apart.

"What? The Scots? What are you talking about?" Liam asked, he was completely lost.

Harry frowned and let out "What are _you_ talking about?" shakily.

"The... about Louis and... this singer" Liam let out uneasy. He didn't know what Harry knew exactly and didn't want to make it worse.

Harry let out a small laugh, between relief and sobs. "So you truly don't know?"

"Know what?" Liam snapped "what is happening?"

"Danielle, the maid, your mistress! She was the Scottish mole. She betrayed us all!" Harry explained, studying Liam's face. Suddenly the ambassador understood.

"Oh my god! Harry! NO! I would never betray you. I didn't know, of course I didn't know. Why would I collaborate with the Scots, you have to believe me!" the man begged.

The prince was convinced. He couldn't believe Liam would betray them, he had absolutely no interest in it either.

"But this bitch, she came to your office. She probably wanted to steal informations. That is why she seduced you" Harry went on. Liam opened his mouth under the shock effect.

"She...she came here only once. Because we were surprised by Louis so we only met at her room afterwards. She couldn't have stolen anything. But... you are right, that's why she wanted to come here" he muttered more for himself than for the prince.

 

Further investigation completely cleared Liam and the rest of the staff. Only one guard was convicted of having helped Danielle. There was evidence he was bribed and helped her to come and go illegally between the castle and the city, even after curfew. It wasn't clear if he knew she was a mole, but that was still treachery. He should have never helped her, and on the contrary denounced her, knowing anybody could he a threat to the security of their Highnesses. Harry had all the personnel and members of the court gathered in the courtyard. He ordered that Louis stayed locked in their room with Ed though.

"Look at this man" he said loudly so everyone could hear him. He was pointing the tip of his sword to the guard. "He is a traitor. He betrayed me and my family". He took out a yellow cloth and shook it in the air so the audience could see it. "Yellow, the colour of betrayal" he shouted. And suddenly with a sharp move of his sword he cut the throat of the traitorous guard. The man dropped dead on the floor and Harry threw the cloth on the cadaver. "Let it be a lesson to those who would betray me" he concluded before the stupefied and silent audience.

When he came back to his chambers, the alpha was struck with a fantastic, delicious scent. He sniffed the air again. Louis was in bed and Ed was sat at the desk, feet on important papers and eating an apple completely uninterested.

"Ed... do? can you smell that?" Harry growled. The spy turned around and watched him mockingly.

"You like it?" he asked ironic. "I think it is your small husband my prince" he said. "It seems your unconditional love triggered his heat if you ask me" he added teasingly.

"But... he... he is thirteen" the alpha answered, unsure and lost. Surely that couldn't be happening.

"Yeah... well, I will leave you two to it" Ed said still mocking the prince and he left with a small tap on the prince's shoulder.

Harry hovered the bed. Still unsure but burning with desire. The small frame and delicious smell emanating from his mate made him harden in his trousers by the second. Louis was whimpering in the bed. Harry could see he was pink, probably very hot. He was also whispering in his sleep.

"Harry... yeah Harry!"

"ok." the prince said out loud for no one. "Ok" he repeated before crawling in bed next to his shivering omega. Louis opened his eyes at the touch of his mate. Harry could feel the small prince was uncomfortably hot and already hard against his tummy. He passed a hand on his bum and happily put it away. It was soaked.

"Harry" Louis whined suddenly throwing his arms around the alpha's neck. "Harry oh, my god, please touch me. Please I need... i need" he couldn't finish and moaned loudly.

"What do you need Lou?" the prince asked smirking. He was fully hard now. The thought of the omega leaking and finally ready for him had him absolutely crazy with want. Louis began to grind against him without even thinking. 

"I need, you to touch me please. I need you to fuck me!" he whined needily. "Please Harry need you knot" he finally begged. Harry thought he was in heaven. He quickly removed his clothes and ripped Louis' shirts. The small omega basically jumped on him and began to grind hard against his cock. The were both rock hard and panting. Louis' dick was leaking and it mixed with his slick all over the place. Harry could feel his own thighs and abs getting soaked with his omegas fluids. He took Louis' hips in his big palms and pressed him roughly against his crotch before grinding violently. Their cocks slipped against each others filthily and Louis let out a loud pornographic moan. But his heat was getting more and more intense and he begged Harry again.

"Please alpha take me. Please Harry, I need your knot. Fuck me. Fuck me". Harry violently pushed him off him and Lou immediately went on his back and submissively opened his legs wide, revealing his puckered hole. Pink, tight and leaking so much. His bum and thighs were covered with slick. Harry took his knees and pushed so that his legs were opened even wider. The omega was begging and shaking so hard now. Loosing his mind completely. But Harry just passed his fingers on the shivering ring of muscles of his hole. He didn't push in, just caressed the rim, watching in wonder how it opened and tried to suck his fingers inside. More slick came out and Louis tried to push against Harry's fingers to make them slide into him. Louis was so drippy. Harry absolutely loved it. He took his fingers away and licked them. God. It tasted so good. Even better than it smelt.

He bent forward and began to lap at all the slick on his mate's thighs and bum. He avoided his quivering hole on purpose and licked all of the slick around it. He loved having Louis absolutely gagging for it under him, weak and needy. The small omega tried to take a hold of his cock. The pain and the need to come were now beginning to be unbearable. But Harry slapped his hand away and licked a fat strip over the prince's hole. His whole body shivered, his hole opened and closed on nothing, begging to be filled.

But Harry was having too much fun. He jumped off the bed and ran to the drawer of his desk from where he took a thick wooden stick. It was smooth and polished like a broomstick but a bit lager and as long as a regular beta cock. His numerous nights at the brothels had introduced him to the pleasure of sex toys. And now that Louis was ready to be completely his, there was no way he didn't make him discover his little weakness. Louis was watching him with pleading eyes. It was clear he was already too far gone with the heat to understand everything happening. His eyes were veiled with want and despair. 

Harry came back over him and without any warning, let two of his huge fingers sink entirely into Louis' heat. The omega trembled and screamed from surprised. But he also moaned like a slut and Harry took his fingers out before shoving them back roughly into the omega's hole. He began to take them in and out in long, slow strikes. Every time he was slamming his fingers so deep and hard that it shoved the little omega further onto the bed. Louis let out loud "huh huh" with each thrust, his full cock and balls bouncing against his stomach. Harry didn't go on for long and soon had the head of the wooden stick at Louis' entrance. He knew the omega was still tight and not very well prepared. But he also wanted Louis to feel the stretch. He wanted to see his face fall when he would shove the toy deep in his ass.

That's exactly what he did. He shoved the stick violently into Louis and the omega came on the spot, his cum hitting his chin. The little prince body was shaking but his cock was still hard. Louis begged.

"Harry please, please I need your cock. Please knot me!" he was crying with need. The stretch of the huge wooden stick wasn't enough.

Harry watched him in wonder and didn't move the stick. He just let it half shoved into Louis hole before sitting away from the small omega.

"Harry!" Louis screamed. But the alpha didn't move.

"Now fuck yourself on it" Harry just growled.

Louis cried more. "But..."

"I waited long enough to fuck you, I can wait a bit more" the alpha cut him "now fuck yourself on it and I will knot you". 

Harry came back over Louis and lifted him to place him on his knees, bum facing Harry and face facing away from him. The stick was still buried in his ass. Louis whined again but took the end of the stick in his palm before shoving it in his ass more. He worked a rhythm as best as he could, sitting more and more to meet his thrusts and take more of the stick. Every times he let out breathy moans. He desperately rode the stick that was now completely buried in him and even stopped the thrusts just grinding down. He tried to take his angry dick in hand again but Harry shoved his hand quickly.

"Keep riding it" he just grunted and Louis went back to thrusting the stick in and out of himself, going faster and faster. His arms and thighs were getting tired and he was so frustrated. He needed more. He needed to be filled more and deeper. He needed his alpha knot. After agonising minutes and when he was nearly going to stop because of his overworked limbs, Harry finally grabbed the back of his neck and pushed him on his front against the mattress. Louis could feel relief taking over his aching body. The alpha was finally going to knot him. 

Harry took the end of the stick and took it completely out of Louis before shoving it deeper than it ever went. The prince cried in pain and pleasure. Harry did it again, once, twice. The third time he added three fingers from his left hand along the stick. He turned them and scissored them, finally looking for his mate soft spot. When he brushed against the small bump, Louis came again, his ass squeezing around the toy and Harry's fingers. He began to thrust the toy once again but left his fingers inside, caressing at his soft spot and making Louis scream. He played with it, circling it with his fingers, brushing it or even pressing on it hard. Louis' cock was twitching with absolute need, still read and heavy trapped against his stomach and the mattress. His hole was quivering, his head was dizzy. The only thing he could think about was Harry's knot.

Harry took his fingers out and pushed his big alpha cock instead. Louis shouted with pain. He had his mate's dick and the toy in his ass. Harry began to move a little, doing eight figure, buried ball deep against Louis' ass. Louis sighed. That was so good. So good. Already his cock was hurting a bit less even if it desperately needed to come again from his mate's knot. Harry went on and pulled out a bit before sinking all the way back. He worked an easy rhythm and Louis was blessing god and Jesus for his alpha cock. 

Finally Harry took the toy out in one swift motion and processed to fuck the shit out of Louis. He pushed his head against the mattress and thrusted deep and fast with hard full strokes. Louis was hiccuping small noise against the bed. Harry bit his neck down to keep him in place and drove harder into the small boy.

"Yeah good boy" Harry grunted while getting out of Louis to immediately fill him up again "I am gonna knot you so hard. You won't be able to move for days. You will still feel me, like if I was still buried in your tight heat, you like that?" 

He gave a small slap on Louis' ass cheek and watched in wonder how it bounced. This made him go back to biting Louis' neck down against the mattress and he sped up his thrusts. With his knees, he widened Louis' legs so he was nearly folded in half. The new angle made him hit Louis' spot with every thrust and the small omega came with a loud cry. His head flew up as his came. But Harry shoved his face back into the mattress, continuing with his fast rhythm. He felt his dick slowly swell. His knot popping wasn't far anymore. 

He buried his whole length in Louis roughly and stayed there, pressing on Louis' spot. Staying buried he moved again, applying constant pressure, doing eight figures and trying to go even deeper into Louis. The omega was pushing back, trying to take more of him. It drove Harry crazy how his little prince was hungry for his knot. He resumed his pace and Louis came again, adding more cum to the mess spread on the sheets and on his tummy. The spasms of his ass sent Harry over the edge and his knot popped. He shoved it forcefully one last time passed Louis' rim and filled the little omega with his swelled member. His cum began to flood and fill the omega as he was riding his orgasm. Louis came one last time, completely dry, only letting out a small whimper. 

His limbs were completely limp now, he was flying with a sensation of peace and accomplishment. His head cleared a bit, now that the need to be fucked and knotted had been fulfilled. Harry's body fell on him and the alpha turned them on there sides, his come still flooding into his hole. Louis absolutely loved the sensation of his mate's knot in him. Harry cuddled him close and licked their mating mark before lightly biting at it. Louis revered it. Harry stopped coming after twenty minutes. Louis was so impressed.

"You are coming for so long!" he whispered.

"Well that's what we need to get you pregnant. All full of my babies" the alpha grunted in his neck before biting at the scar and reopening it a bit. Louis whimpered but loved that Harry licked the blood out of him. He was claiming him again, showing everybody he was his. When his knot was down enough he took it out of Louis' hole and watched mesmerised at the red and fucked open entrance. His come was leaking which was really hot but also very annoying to his alpha's instincts. He found back the wooden stick and shoved it back into Louis to avoid his come to leak more and keep it all inside his mate. Louis squeaked but relaxed. He liked the sensation of being filed and dozed off, safe in his alpha's strong arms, full of his warm semen. 

The rest of the week went the same. With them fucking all the time, stopping only to nap and eat a bit. Harry's favourite thing was having Louis ride him or ride the stick until he was too tired to move. Then Harry would shove him face down against the mattress or flip him on his back and throw his legs over his shoulders before pushing deep into his heat. He fucked him hard, with punishing strokes, making him come several times. After he pulled out, he always put the toy back to avoid any leaking of his come and so that Louis was always full with either his cock or the wooden stick. Louis was in complete bliss.

When the effect of his heat were going away and the little omega requested they took a bath, Harry fucked him bent over the tub and once again on his hands and knees inside the tub, because why not. He was open and pliant and willing and smelling so good and tasting even better. The alpha couldn't resist. After these few days, Louis' hole didn't really close anymore. And Harry laughed out loud when Louis whined about it.

"So you are always open and ready for me" he grunted before kissing him possessively. He could read the concern still in his mate's eyes "don't worry. It will go back to normal" he said. "It is just a bit... traumatised by this week" he said quite smug.

He hugged his little omega closer and could only think about one thing now, there was no way that after all that Louis wasn't pregnant!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So :) i hope you liked it
> 
> fyi, for the gossips/rumours part of the story I was mainly inspired by the hate campaign Marie Antoinette faced before the French revolution (without the tragic ending fortunately!) but also by well all the gossips that involve the boys every single day!
> 
> For the part where Harry forces Louis to attend the party to save him despite himself, this is inspired by _Gone with the wind_ when Rhett forces Scarlett to go to Melany's party after she slept with her hubbie hehe ;)  <3


	16. Chapter XVI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry it took me so long to update but I have been majorly distracted from my mission by the figure skating WC! That was actually funny because the DJ was a 1D fan and kept playing all of their songs between the skaters. hehe you can NEVER ESCAPE!
> 
> Also it was brought to my attention several times that I make a lot of grammar and vocab/spelling mistakes and that it makes the story difficult for you guys to read.  
> So first soz for that.  
> Secondly, I am wondering if any native English speakers (or people that speak better than me) would be willing to review the chapters and correct them? I am not sure how that would work but yeah let me know if you can/want to. 
> 
> As always thanks so much for reading and for your comments etc. and thanks for your patience :) xx

Louis couldn't believe how drastic the change in atmosphere had been. A few weeks ago, he was hiding away in his room, frightened and so so lonely. Now he was happy again, crazy in love with Harry. Harry who couldn't seem to stop touching him, who tried to spend every minute possible with him, who was just so lovely and attentive and very very horny. The alpha prince was very eager to make up for lost time and Louis didn't complain. He revered his mate's touch, couldn't get enough of Harry. Every time he blushed and shivered under his attention. He just couldn't believe how lucky he was.

After his heat and since they were having sex all the time, Louis knew there was a real possibility he was going to get pregnant. Maybe even was already. He knew Harry was torn about it. On one side, his alpha instincts wanted to impregnate him so bad and made him lose his mind every night (and sometimes during the day!) but the prince was also uneasy that Louis was so young and so skinny. Indeed, he had lost all of the weight he had painfully gained with the doctor's diet. Harry was making him eat like a pig to try and erase the bad effects of the rumours campaign. But Louis knew he was worried. Which was so cute. 

If he was honest, Louis was also worried. He wasn't sure he wanted to be pregnant yet and kind of hoped he wouldn't get knocked up too soon. The doctor actually told him that it wasn't unusual for omegas to get pregnant only after one or two years after their first heat, especially when they were really young. Louis was a bit reassured with that. Of course he wanted to be the best omega possible and please his alpha and give him an heir. But the prospect of being pregnant and particularly of giving birth was scaring him a lot. Still him and Harry acted like magnets. And several times the Queen actually jokingly dismissed them from her court because they were a bit too touchy-feely. 

Harry and the Queen ruled the kingdom since the King was battling in the East against the Scandinavians. The situation was actually worrying. Cara and her Scottish and Danish allies had taken refuge in Scandinavia and were probably building new schemes right now on how to attack and undermine the King's authority again. The problem was that Lord Lucas wasn't sending any messages to Harry anymore. The prince wondered if he had been discovered or if the situation for him was too dangerous right now to try and contact him. After all the Lord had to find messengers that he could trust. And if he was across the sea that was a lot more difficult to reach to Harry. The fact was that they didn't have any idea of where exactly was the princess and of what she was up to, which was very inconvenient. 

The Irish and English boats had arrived at the front and were now battling against the Scandinavian navy while the King was fighting on land. From the news they heard from the front, the war was even harsher than the one they fought in the north and Harry was kind of expecting his father to ask him and his army to come join the combats soon. In Europe, war was still raging as well and Louis knew his brother was struggling against the Austrians. Every day, Liam told them about another bloody battle and Louis prayed every night for Henri's safety. 

Charlotte, who was now 7 months pregnant and whose husband, Emperor Ulrich was fighting against the Danes, kept sending Louis anxious letters. This worried him. He was scared the stress could actually hurt her or the baby. He knew his mother and Eleanor thought the same. Finally, the French Queen announced that she would travel to Prussia to stay with her daughter and support her during these difficult times. That was a relatively dangerous trip since the region was unstable with the close fightings. But Louis was happy his sister wouldn't be alone in her state.

Life went by for another month and of course Louis began to be sick in the morning. He didn't fool himself, he knew he was pregnant. Harry, who was already very considerate and very possessive became even more protective. Even when he was holding council or reviewing policies with the ministers he always took breaks to come and check on Louis. He also made sure the little omega was never alone, leaving Ed, Liam, Louise or sometimes Ben when he couldn't be with the small prince.

Louis felt constantly sick or weirdly dizzy and tired, which didn't help in calming down the alpha. Louis hated that he had to get up at dawn to run to the bathroom and empty his stomach every single day. But he also quite enjoyed how Harry was always there to rub his back, concerned and so adorable. Or how he cuddled him after, making sure the little omega was as comfortable as possible.

According to the royal doctor, the little prince was around six weeks pregnant now. That is why he felt so sick. The symptoms soon should diminish. He also told that it was actually a good sign and proved the pregnancy was going well and the baby was probably going to be strong and healthy. This seemed to reassure Harry a bit but didn't stop him at all from overprotecting Louis. 

Under the doctor's advice he had to eat even more, which didn't help his morning sickness. He also had to have two spoons of cod-liver oil every day because it was a fantastic restorative. This proved very difficult since the smell alone made Louis gag. He ended puking the liquid more times than he could actually keep it inside. This made Harry try to serve him the oil in the sneakiest ways. In his soups, mixed with the sauce of his meats, as a dressing for his salads or veggies. But every time, Louis could smell and taste the disgusting flavour. Harry always had two spoons of the oil as well for moral support and it was funny to see his repelled expression when he swallowed them. This comforted his small omega in the knowledge he wasn't a drama queen. The oil was actually disgusting. But the English prince was such a good alpha that he ate them anyways.

Their relative routine was soon broken by the request of the King for Harry to join him at the front. His father was absolutely urging the prince to come at their rescue. If he didn't come as soon as possible, the consequences would be catastrophic for the Royal troops. The alpha and his army left hurriedly the day after they received the call for help. Time was playing against them. 

The king's army had been absolutely crushed at a battle near Ipswich. He finessed, went for broke and gathered his few remaining soldiers to take part in the naval war. That was a gamble move. His strategy was to launch all their remaining forces against the Scandinavian boats to defeat them and stop the backups while they left the enemy advancing on land. The logic was that if they could win the war on sea, the Scandinavian troops would be isolated and Harry's army that was coming could then defeat them easily. It was a desperate make-or-brake move, and he was risking it all. But there was no other solution.

 

Lord Cox was very surprised and quite impressed to be face to face with the King. The man was taller and a lot scarier than he remembered. They hadn't seen each other for a long time. The sailor knew the king disliked him and the relationship he had with the Queen. But they were both there, facing and weighting each other up on the deck of the vessel. It was like time had slowed down. They didn't hear the cannons and muskets shots, they didn't hear the wind in the sails or the men running around to reload the powder. The sea was raging and the strong waves made the boat pitch from right to left every time they crushed against the hull. The sun was going down as well and visibility getting worse and worse. Soon it would be dark and it would make the combats even more difficult.

From the last emissary they had sent, the King knew Harry's army would be there the next day in the afternoon. It was too late! Very much too late. They couldn't wait for him and had to win tonight. The Scandinavian navy outnumbered them and if they reached the English land, they would tip the scale in their enemies' favour. 

"Cox, how are we going to do that?" the king grunted. The lord snapped out of his trance.

"My King, we... our boats still have powder for the cannons for a few hours. Maybe three, four maximum. Without the backup from your son, we are... weaker than them. Vulnerable."

The king let out an exasperated noise.  
"I know that my lord! I am asking you what we have to do then! Harry is one day away from us. He won't be able to help. We are on our own and we are going to win and sink the vessels of these motherfucking peasants!" he shouted angrily. He knew lord Cox was only there because of the Queen. Because he loved _his wife_. And that made him despise this small man. He never understood their relationship and was always jealous of the gentle melancholic look the Queen had when she talked about him. But he was probably the best sailor in the kingdom and he would make them win. The king wouldn't have it any other way.

"We... ok, they have a few of their bigger vessels front line to shoot at us with their cannons and protect their smaller ships and the ones transporting land troops. These vessels are anchored to not drift because of the heavy currents. This is their weakness."

"If we can come alongside, board and take command of these boats..." the king continued for him.

"Yes exactly" the sailors answered excitedly. "Coming alongside them is going to be a nightmare with their constant shooting. And they have the advantage in close-range fighting. But if we can take command of, lets say one or two of these vessels, we could cut their anchor cables, load them with gun powder, set them on fire."

"Use them as hellburners!" the king said pensive.

"Precisely!" Lord Cox exulted. "With the strong wind and big waves, their vessels manoeuvrability is diminished. There are great chances the burning boats hit them. And even if they don't they will explode close enough to make a lot of damages. Their fleet is going to be completely disorganised, leaving boats isolated and vulnerable".

"What... what strategy do you.." the king wasn't sure he wanted to ask. He already kind of knew what the answer was going to be "how do you reckon we can reach and board the vessels?"

The sailor saw in the king's eyes, he knew what it took. "We have to sacrifice some of our own ships my King" he said slowly. "Maybe two or three of our bigger vessels have to keep the cannon-shootings going on towards their smaller boats. But make these vessels reachable to the Scandinavian fire. They will concentrate on shooting at them and will sink them for sure. Meanwhile, maybe six of our smaller fly-boats will try and reach their vessels. Among them, surely we will lose some but one or two can make it, loot their weaponry and munitions, set up the fire and the bomb."

"Which boats do we sacrifice?" the king simply asked, no emotions displayed.

 

One hour later, their plan was implemented. Two English and one Irish vessels had advanced enough to come under Scandinavian heavy fire. Already, one of them was in critical condition and close to sinking. The crews weren't aware it was a suicide mission of course, but the captains had understood. Their orders were to bring their ships as close as possible to the enemies' and blow them up before they sank, as a diversion from the fly-boats' mission. Sir Cox and the King were each leading one boat for the attack on the vessels and four others were following them. The darkness of the night and the rough sea were perfect conditions and would help to cover them up. Sir Cox lead the way with a small red lantern, it was their only source of lightning and their only way to get their bearings. When they got close enough to the vessels, the sailor turned the light off, they were all on their own now.

At the exact same moment, they heard the detonation of the Irish vessel blowing up. The ball of fire lighted up the entire sea for a few instants. The captain had done a fantastic last manoeuvre and had crashed his burning boat on one of the ships loaded with soldiers. You could hear their blood-curling screams in the night and the horrible cracks of the sails and hulls giving up. Both sides resumed to fire more heavily.

But the sudden light from the explosion permitted the look-out of one of the Scandinavian vessels to detect the fly-boats. He rang his bell and soon, all the vessels were aware of the incoming attack. The English came under fire and could only replicate with their arquebuses and swivel guns since their smaller boats were not equipped with cannons, to be lighter and more manageable. The king saw the fly-boat the closest to him sink after being hit by several cannon balls. The courageous sailors took ropes, harpoons and string ladders before jumping overboard and try to reach to the vessels swimming. Lord Cox ship's reached one vessel and collided with it at full speed. Now that they couldn't use the surprise effect, they had to use speed and power, which meant no manoeuvre before the boarding. The king stood up displaying all his height. He swirled his sword on top of his head. 

"Prepare to board!" he screamed to his men. He nodded once to the captain to command the collision. Before the impact, the soldiers harpooned the vessel. They got shot at and a few of them fell, deadly injured on the deck but others took their places to keep the ropes in hands. They crashed against the hull of the bigger boat and the violence had a few sailors falling overboard. In a chaos of bullets, arrows and falling bodies, the King and his men jumped out of their ship and climbed inside the Scandinavian vessel. Another fly-boat had managed to board on the other side and they were now fighting on the deck against their enemies' soldiers.

"Cut the anchors! Cut everything!" the King screamed to his troops while sword-fighting with two sailors at the same time. They all suddenly got blown away and fell violently on the hard floor. The vessel tipped greatly from side to side, hit by enormous waves, some of them splashing over the deck. It was the second of their vessels that had exploded. The deflagration was so intense that the entire fleet could feel it. Several enemy boats were touched and set on fire. The vessel must have been _loaded_ with powder. A few seconds later, the deck was under a rain of pointy iron objects, sharp blades and big metal bits. The king smiled to himself. This old salt of Smith, the captain of the vessel had loaded the powder bomb with all the metal objects he had on board. The explosion had them now hitting the surrounding boats and making more harm and damages.

The king jumped under a cornice to protect himself, watching the slower men get hit and run through by the flying bits. Fights resumed. He fought like the devil, killing indiscriminately everyone who was coming on his way. He made a run to the anchors and started to axe them down soon helped by a few men. From what he could see, the vessel boarded by Sir Cox was already on fire, while the fights were still going on the deck. No other fly-boat had managed to board the vessels, but one had crashed against the hull of a third ship so hard that they had actually cut their anchor-cables on the spot. The vessel had drifted and collided with another Scandinavian boat. That had both of the ships slowly sinking and the King cursing with joy under his breath.

Chaos was total, especially now that an English soldier had managed to kill the captain of the vessel. Men were running on the deck in every directions, trying to defend their positions as well as sail the now drifting warship. The king felt a painful sting on his shoulder and watched down to find he had been touched by an arrow. His adrenaline was so high that it didn't even hurt that much. He just took the tip of it and pulled it out of his body with an animalistic growl. The disorder played in their favour and the King could see that they were slowly gaining more and more of an edge over the Scandinavians.

Sir Cox's soldiers had taken control of the vessel next to them and turned the cannons against the Scandinavian navy while preparing the bomb. This gave the King a boost of adrenaline and he fought even harder.

"You fucking dogs" he screamed at the top of his lungs "you come to my land, you kill my people and threaten my authority, see what you get!". His raged seemed to encourage his men to fight harder as well. Everywhere, they pushed people overboard, ran through them with their swords, burnt them by throwing powder, strangled them with ropes. The king thought it was a wonderful sight to see his men so completely dedicated to the cause.

Sir Cox played the horn several times. It was their signal of distress. Since their fly-boats were unusable after crashing against the vessels, they needed another boat to come and take them on board. They had set up the bomb and stuck the helm so it aimed to the Scandinavian fleet. The soldiers were now setting everything on fire. Two small fly-boats were approaching to rescue them, but of course they were bombarded on the way. The king's troops finally took control of the vessel and set everything as planned as well. One of the fly-boats came alongside the first vessel and Sir Cox and his men came aboard. Unfortunately the second small boat was taken down before reaching the King's vessel. Sir Cox's ship manoeuvred to come and rescue them but was struggling under heavy fire. 

The king stuck a metal bar into the helm. The bomb was ready, his men were already setting things on fire. They had no time left to wait for the fly-boat, they already had drifted too close to their targets and were under more and more cannon strikes. 

"When you are finished, jump overboard" the King screamed around. "There is no rescue! Jump overboard and try to reach a friendly boat. Good luck!"

 

Harry was worried and anxious. The last messenger they received from his father urged them to move faster. It was just before the night had fallen. But their pace was already the fastest they could maintain with all their equipments and weapons, and with their soldiers walking on foot. He felt quite lonely without his faithful right-hand man. Of course he had left Ed with Louis. He couldn't risk to have him in danger again, especially not now that he was pregnant and even more fragile than before. 

He had learnt to respect and even quite like Maximilian. But the dark lord wasn't the best company. Not that Ed was much more chatty actually but still. He also appreciated the Count Isnikov, Kendalla's husband, who was a fantastic soldier and had a great sense of humour. But the prince felt quite uneasy with him because he didn't understand why he took part in this war that didn't concern him in the slightest. This left the General Grimshaw as his best company. Which wasn't that bad, to be honest. Harry and Sir Nicholas got around pretty well and respected each other greatly. But it is true the very dark and ironic sense of humour of the General wasn't the best pick-me-up for the prince, who felt already quite down. A huge ball of fire on the horizon took him out of his reverie. 

This was without a doubt coming from the coast, where his father had joined the efforts of the Royal Navy. A few of the soldiers gasped and a frenzy of whispers broke in the night, with all the troops commentating on the fireball.

"Let's move!" Harry shouted. "Faster, faster!" he pressed his men. Whatever that was, this fireball showed the fights were raging over there and that his father needed support. 

 

Six Cox gasped when the vessel that was boarded by the King crashed against a Scandinavian troops ships and blew up. The intensity of the explosion was something he had never witnessed before. The enemy boats cut there anchor cables and tried to escape from the two fire ships path. But their flee was so disorganised that a few of the boats actually collided with each others, forming even more chaos in the Scandinavian fleet. Other boats didn't have time to escape and crashed with the hellburners, getting set on fire as well. Finally some boats escaped but were all dispersed. That was their opportunity, the Irish vessels, under the command of Lord Twist advanced towards their enemies to be able to reach them with their cannon shots. That's when the first fire ship exploded, taking down at least four boats with him. The second one followed closely, blowing up more Scandinavian ships.

"Fucking hell" Cox screamed. "They must have jumped overboard! They must have jumped!". He ordered to sail following the path of the now former vessel. They had to try and fish out the king! It was extremely dangerous of course because it meant getting closer to the still firing enemy vessels and being under their cannon strikes. Dawn had began to show but it was still dark and the mission of finding men lost at sea in these conditions was nearly impossible. Still they went, screening the waters for any trace of the King or others of their sailors. It proved too dangerous though and they were severely hit by a few cannon balls that passed through the deck and hull and finally made them sink.

With both the King and Lord Cox lost at sea, Sir Twist, the Irish commander was now in charge. He ordered to sacrifice more of their own boats, setting them on fire and launching them against the remaining Scandinavian vessels. Meanwhile, the rest of the English navy was still firing hard against the smaller ships and the ones transporting troops. When they ran out of cannon balls, they used anything they could find to load their cannons. And when they ran out of powder, they just sailed directly towards the enemy ships and either crashed against them or tried to board and take control. That was a game of massacre, but through the use of fire ships and what were basically suicide attacks, the English navy was wining. They had sunk nearly all the Scandinavian vessels and most of their remaining smaller warships were in very bad condition as well. By ten o'clock the English victory was secured. All of the enemy boats had either sunk or were now in their hands. Some had managed to escape back to Scandinavia, but its entire navy was completely decimated.

Harry's troops encountered the Scandinavians a bit before reaching Ipswich. Both sides had now received news from the front. The enemy soldiers knew they were vanquished. But the prince didn't let them surrender.

"Give no quarter!" he shouted to his men. "Show them what it means to come against us and invade our lands! Kill them all in the name of our glorious kingdom!"

The battle was quick and bloody. The Scandinavian were outnumbered and their retreat impeded by Harry's soldiers. Just after his victory, the prince heard the news of his father's fate. It wasn't yet confirmed the King was dead, but he was lost at sea since around 5 in the morning. Several ships were screening the area but only one sailor had been taken out of the waters and it wasn't his Highness. The prince rushed to the coast, accompanied by the General Grimshaw, where he joined Sir Twist who was responsible for their victory. 

After two days of research, they stopped and the King was officially declared dead. Harry didn't have the time to cry him before a ship bearing white flags landed and a Scandinavian ambassador came out to offer peace. Scandinavia capitulated without conditions and offered 500 000 gold coins as well as their surrender. Harry asked that they gave them Cara as well. The ambassador assured the Princess hadn't stayed in Scandinavia and that they had no idea where she was. After two days of talks, they signed the peace treaty and Harry went back to a very excited London. Everywhere the crowd was gathered screaming "the King is dead, long live the king!". With his glorious victories, the prince proved to be already very popular among his subjects.

 

Harry was in his office, getting ready for his coronation. Since he came back to London, two days ago, the rhythm had been hectic. A succession of meetings with the ministers and counsellors, with the Lords of the court, with the ambassadors of foreign countries. He also tried to be there as much as possible for his mother. The Queen was absolutely crushed, after loosing the two men she loved. Since they had not recovered the King's body, they buried his sword and ceremony clothes during the national funeral. Gemma and Ashton attended the ceremony, but Niall couldn't make it, since he was too far. The Queen nonetheless found a bit of comfort in the presence of her daughter.

The prince was nervously lacing his shirt. His fingers were shaking. In a few hours he would officially be the King of England. And Louis would be his consort prince. He had been prepared for this moment all his life but now he wasn't sure he was able to do it. Louis entered the room without noise and Harry only noticed him when he had his arms around his middle, his face crushed against his spine. His small hands were tracing small soothing circles on his abs and Harry instantly found himself relax. His breaths were deeper and easier to take. He turned around slowly to take his mate in. The small prince had swapped his black mourning clothes for the bright red and white of his ceremony costume. He was so cute with his big worried eyes that the alpha fell his heart fall to his feet. He bent over and they kissed slowly, like they had all the time in the world. Like nothing existed but them. Louis was the one to pull away, leaving Harry quivering and needy. 

"My king?" the omega said weakly, with an hint of amusement in his voice. Harry opened his eyes to see the shy smile of his mate. This made him smile as well. The small prince came closer and finished to tie the laces of his shirt, before helping him to pass his tunic as well, basically dressing him, with smooth, small gestures. The alpha let him, a bit overwhelmed and very thankful. They didn't really speak but Louis knew his alpha needed his presence. He brushed his hair quickly and led him out of the room where Ed and the guards waited for them.

The coronation itself was nothing special. Both Louis and Harry knelled in front of the Cardinal of Saint Paul church. The cardinal represented the Pope's authority, the only entity that made the coronation valid in the Christian world. They both promised on the Bible that they would serve and protect the Kingdom until their death and with all their power and wisdom. The small gathering after the ceremony was simple and very respectful since everyone was still mourning King Des' death.

Only a few days after they were crowned King, they received the most pleasing news. In a very unexpected turn of events, France and Austria had managed to reach an agreement and signed a peace treaty! The war was too bloody for both sides and their forces were too equal. The Austrians were thus throwing the towel and gave up on the idea of invading France. Too happy to sign peace, the French had agreed without conditions and were now sending all of their troops to the North to help Prussia against the Danes.

Besides, even more unexpected, the Ottomans, who had finally entered Vienna were actually retreating, fleeing Europe in a disorganised chaos. Apparently, Roxelane, the 1st Sultana, had schemed with the Persians during her husband's absence. The Persian troops of King Ismail had entered Constantinople and easily defeated the small contingent of soldiers there. The king declared the city his and married Roxelane. Sultan Mehmet was hence going back to the empire with all of his army to try and regain power. 

Louis was really worried when he heard that the Persians entered the Sultan's harem and apparently killed and raped a few of Mehmet's favourites. Anxiety over poor Pasha's fate made him puke even more in the mornings and he became restless. The doctor told Harry he had no cure. But finally all stopped when the small omega received a letter from Moldova. It was from Pasha himself!

_Dear Louis,_

_I know you must be worried about me. I have to say I consider you as a great friend. Probably my best friend._  
 _You were kind to me and tried to protect me and I will never forget that. In fact, this cherished memory was often_  
 _what kept me alive and hopeful in the harem, while I was treated miserably._  
 _You don't have to worry anymore for my fate. With the help of a few friendly women from the Harem, we bribed guards_  
 _and managed to flee Constantinople just when stroke the Persian invasion. The chaos in the city permitted to cover our escape._  
 _I could take refuge in Moldova, my home country, at the castle of Lord Nicolae, who is a distant friend of my family._  
 _I am with child but Lord Nicolae was fantastic enough to offer to protect me and my futur baby. We will marry in a few weeks and_  
 _I can't be happier. He really is a good man, Louis. It seems that finally I found my haz, just like you did._  
 _I hope that when everything has calmed down, we will be able to visit you again. This visit will be a lot happier than the previous one,_  
 _I promise. But for the moment, farewell my dear friend. Right to me here, at the castle of Lord Nicolae and be sure I will answer!_

_With all my love,  
your devoted friend Pasha_

The letter had an immediate effect on the small prince. First he cried with joy and relief for a whole afternoon, to Harry's great distress. Then he just passed out and slept for a day and two nights, only waking up to eat and drink with huge appetite. The alpha was so happy his omega was healthy again that he had the letter framed and hanged on the wall at the head of Louis' side of the bed.

 

Harry was presiding his first official minister council. Ed silently sat at his right, Zayn at his left was taking notes for the royal archives. Their friendly presence helped the new King a lot in keeping his composure even when he was absolutely terrified in the inside. The council had gone smoothly so far. Harry assured he was happy with the ministers and the politics in place. He had no intention to change them and wanted to keep on going with his father's decision. But now was the part of the meeting he dreaded. He was happy with all his father's past policies. But he had two requests. And he knew he would get opposition for that. That was the first test of his reign.

"So before we finish, I have two requests that will be applied immediately." The ministers and counsellors turned towards him as one man. The room was now death silent.  
"My husband's correspondence will not be opened by security from now on."

"But..." an old man tried to object. Harry didn't give him any more time to go on

"He is my husband and your king. He might be from another country but he is the English prince consort now. I trust him completely, as will you. He doesn't represent a threat to our security and I won't have any of his letters opened anymore. Is it clear?" he said a bit aggressively.  
The board just nodded dead silent. It was a strong statement. Once again the king was standing by his omega, reiterated his trust in him and made clear without a doubt that he would have nothing else but the same attitude from his people.

"The second thing is about a bid that my father presented not that long ago. A bid written by the philosopher James Corden about increasing women and omegas rights. I will pass this bid. The law is valid from now on, make sure it is known and applied by our citizens." Whereas for the first request, the room had stayed relatively silent, the ministers were now all screaming at the same time. Finally, Lord Cowell spoke over the brouhaha and people calmed down a bit.

"Your Highness, you are aware the board of ministers voted against this law when it was presented by your illustrious father..." the lord began. Harry stared at him and weighted him up. He knew Lord Simon Cowell was the most influential of his ministers and that he had to make an ally of him. But he also knew that to win him over, he had to win his respect first. And for that he had no other tools than strength and character.

"I know you voted against it my Lords" he said slowly, his voice fierce and impassive. He was happy to sound a lot surer than he actually felt. "And I took your votes into consideration. But I am the King now, I make the final decisions and will pass this law nonetheless"

"But my King! It is folly." Lord Cowell said again "surely it is against all the foundations of our society, the people... the people wouldn't..."

"The people will understand and follow the law my Lord Cowell" said Harry inflexible. "Because we will explain that, we already have awareness classes, we will do more. I won't have half of my people enslaving the other half anymore. It is done. It is decided, the law is passed." He was getting angry now before the resistance of his ministers.

"This will affect your popularity Harry" Lord Cowell tried again.

The king saw red. The minister called him Harry, in disrespect of all protocols. That was an insult, to show him he was a young, inexperienced wanna-be king. The alpha stood up of his throne and hover towards the older man.

"I am at the pinnacle of my popularity _Simon!_ ". He replied threatening. "And I will pass this law now, because I can and because I want to. I will have _no one_ " he repeted even louder turning around to face his other ministers "NO ONE, questioning my authority. So now, it is done. Go and print the edits. Make the town criers inform the public in the streets and marketplaces. This council is closed!"

The men left the room hurriedly and Lord Cowell thought about one thing only on his way out: the new king was heavily influenced by his sweet little innocent husband. Prince Louis was now a force to be reckoned with.

The new law was not taken as bad as they had thought by the English citizens. Of course, a few of the most conservative alphas complained and cried that it was pure heresy. But the majority of the people were mostly in favour or the law or unfazed by it. This made the new king even more popular among the younger and more liberal people, among omegas, females and feminists but also among philosophers and intellectuals. All in all, besides the undeniable good of the law itself, it was a good political move. The answer of the Catholic church was a lot different though. The pope urged the King to retract his laws that were an affront to god and to the principles of the Bible. Harry sent two of his cardinals pleading his cause to Rome but the answer came back unchanged. The pope asked for the plain and simple removal of the law.

Harry was lying in bed tensed. It was very early and he usually wasn't coming to their room until later, when Louis was already half asleep on his book. The small omega frowned before the dark expression of his alpha. He crawled on top of his man and Harry tide his arms around him as a reflex. 

"What is it Hazza?" Louis asked gently, his lips against the collar bones of the alpha. The older man sighed.

"You know the law of James Corden. Your law..." Louis could actually hear pride in the King's tone and it made him fall in love for the millionth time with his fantastic alpha "the Pope isn't happy about it. He wants me to remove it" he finished in a frustrated whisper.

"It... it is alright Haz" the young prince said feeling his throat tighten. "At least you tried. You did everything you could. It just wasn't to be. You wanted to do that for me and... I thank you for that" he said, hoping all the love and adoration he had for his alpha showed in his tone. Harry watched him carefully.

"No Louis, I didn't do that for you. Well,... I did." he said again quickly "but it is more than that. I also believe in that. I think it is a genuinely good law. Your friend's situation made me think. And I truly believe it is what I should do for my kingdom and for the well being of my people" he said pensive. "And this old rat, hidden away in his golden Vatican, what does he know of what is good? Why should he have authority over me, on my people and my land". His tone was fierce and angry now.

"Harry!" Louis whispered shell shocked. "It is... it is the Pope. You can't talk about him like that, he is the man chosen by god to represent him on Earth, our Holly father!"

The alpha laughed without joy, like it was the most ridiculous stuff he heard.

"Lou, my love. You are so young. And so naive" he said lovingly, tightening his grip and pulling the small prince up on his body so they faced each other. Louis blushed madly but wondered what was so stupid in what he said. He was lost. Harry kissed him slowly and caressed his back and bum sweetly. It wasn't sexual, just tender. Louis could feel that Harry wasn't in the mood, which was worrying in itself!

"The pope isn't more holly than you, me or the first peasant who comes along". Louis pulled away a little and opened his mouth in a wide "o" at his mate's blasphemy. "He bribed his fellow cardinals into voting for him, like all the other popes before him and like all the popes that will succeed. They are politicians Lou, cunning Italian politician even. The worst kind of them." He laughed a little. "They probably have more blood on their hands than I have. Leave the religion and holly behaviour to the normal priests. But the pope is a ruler, pretty much a King if you will. And as it is, he is the most powerful of us all since all the countries in Europe have to follow his rules". The king was pensive now. His angry tone had left place to something else. Louis didn't want to interrupt his thoughts and went back to nosing at his neck, before kissing and biting a bit ever so gently. Harry let out a contented little moan and finally talked again.

"We shouldn't have to follow his rules. He is nothing more than a spiritual leader, and even that is giving him too much power over us. This is my country, I am the king. I won't let my authority be questioned by an obese, nearly senile, crumbling Italian owl. I will oppose the Pope and if needed, break with Rome" he said, now with new restored confidence. Louis didn't have time to argument. The king flipped him over and kissed him hungrily before grabbing his cock. The omega's mind went blank and he just gave in the touch of his alpha.

 

"You want to break with Rome?!" the Archbishop of London asked Harry. He wasn't sure how to respond. If he had to laugh, cry, be angry, be outraged. The King had gathered his ministers as well as the most influential churchmen of the country and had just announced his plan to the assembly. The Abbot of Westminster beside him seemed completely lost as well. The room was completely silent.

"Yes, exactly" Harry said giving a beaming smile to his men. "We still will practice our sacred religion and follow the precepts of the Bible. It won't change anything for our people or for your fellow priests. But we won't be subjects anymore to the authority of the Pope. He has too much power and no real legitimacy. I don't see why an old man elected by around 40 people stuck in a palace, would have any right to rule my Kingdom and lead my people."

Everyone was so beyond shocked, that nobody really argued about the decision. England was breaking away from the power of Rome and its Pope. They were now creating the Anglican Religion, which was basically the same as the Catholic one, but not recognising the authority of the Pope. Harry and his heirs would now be the Head of the church as well as the head of the state, even if the true religious power stayed in the hands of the priest, bishops and other churchmen.

"How?... How will we make this public?" Lord Cowell finally asked weakly.

"We will have a ceremony my Lord. At Saint Paul with all the clergy. And then we will have a national holiday, with free drinks and meals for all my people. I will be appointed the head of the Church by the Archbishop himself, during his Service. London is well worth a mass my Lord, isn't it?" he asked lightly. That was certainly the most ground breaking decision ever made for centuries. But he was sure of himself. He was confident. He was ready. Seeing his small perfect adorable omega proud of him gave him faith and proved him he took the right decision.

The King faced more critics than with the passing of the law. But when the public saw that it actually changed nothing for them and didn't affect their lives in the slightest, the angry voices calmed down and the Reformation was very well taken. Harry felt he had succeeded with his baptism of fire. His popularity had not decreased and even had somewhat increased. He seemed to have gained the respect of his ministers, if not their total approval. His omega was happy and healthy and began to actually get a bit bigger. He wasn't three months pregnant yet and wasn't really showing. But at least the diet proved to work and Louis had regained more weight. 

Gemma and the Queen asked permission to board with Sir Twist and go back with him to Ireland to visit Niall. Since England was now at peace and there was no danger, Harry accepted easily. He knew that his mother needed air, and a nice trip to see her son and son-in-law could only help her to get over the tragedy of the death of the king. Niall also probably needed support in the mourning of his father, especially since he couldn't attend the funeral. The king noticed the way Sir Twist eyed his mother and how he behaved around her. He didn't comment though, entirely trusting the hero sailor. He even hoped that a sweet romance could actually make the Queen happier.

Once again, like every time they seemed to find peace and happiness a terrible news stroke. Louis' mother, that was at Charlotte's bedside in Prussia, informed in a very short and very worrying letter that the Empress's pregnancy had gone very wrong. Louis' sister was suffering a lot and the doctors weren't sure she was going to make it through the birth. There was a strong possibility that Charlotte died while delivering, even before in the worse scenarios. This broke Louis of course and the small omega begged his husband to let him go to Prussia, join his mother at his sister's bedside.

"Louis are you out of your mind" Harry was screaming furious and terrified. "I won't let you go travel half of Europe that is put to fire and sword right now. Especially not when you are pregnant yourself Louis! Do you understand what you are asking?"

The small omega's face was red and full of tears, but his expression was as determined as he ever saw him.

"Harry this is my sister! I would go through France, where I would be protected. And I will be protected in Prussia as well. Henri and Ulrich wouldn't let anything happen to me. I would go with as many guards as you want, with Ed, with Sir Higgins, with whoever. Of course I will be safe. But I need to go..."

"No Louis you won't go!" Harry roared in his alpha tone. The small omega shook like a leaf but actually didn't lose his determined face, which impressed the King greatly. "You know as well as I do that Henri isn't yet in the North. And Emperor Ulrich has other things to do than protect you and make sure you have a safe passage until Prussia. The North of France isn't safe by any means. The fightings between Danes and Prussians are too close and Danish spies are everywhere. The Scandinavian are still in Holland, and even if we are at peace, I wouldn't risk letting an omega prince too close to them. It is too easy to give in to the prospect of the nice ransom. We don't know where the fuck Princess Cara is. She probably joined the Danes and still wants to destroy us!"

"Harry this is my sister!" Louis pleaded one last time begging the alpha to reconsider.

"I know Louis, and I am sorry" Harry said a little softer "but I can't let you go. This is final. You will stay here, safe, with me."

The omega refused to talk to Harry for the rest of the day and for the following one. Finally, they confronted again at night in their bedroom. Both of them were calmer.

"Harry please" the omega begged. "I will do anything that you want. I won't ask for anything ever again, I promise..." He was close to tears again.

"Louis come on, you don't understand" Harry said softly, nearly ashamed. "It is not I don't want you to go. It doesn't please me to refuse that you go visit your sick sister. If I could I would go with you. But I can't I have to stay here. I am the new king, I can't just leave right now. And I can't have you all vulnerable and pregnant going alone through a heavily unstable region. This is too dangerous."

"Harry, I won't be alone" the omega pleaded. He could see it in his alpha's eyes. He was still against it, but there was this tiny bit of doubt, of vague uncertainty, that had Louis a bit more hopeful than during their last conversation. "I could go with Ed, Zayn, Liam, whoever you want..."

"Liam is a French citizen, he isn't under my orders and his mission is as an ambassador to our court..." Harry grumbled.

"Anybody else then!" Louis cut. "Come on, you know that Ed would protect me well. He would give his life without any doubt to save me and make sure I am alright. You know it, he is so completely and utterly devoted to you. He wouldn't let anything happen to me."

"I... I know that Louis. And I would trust Ed with my life in a heartbeat."

"So what is...?"

He couldn't finish. Harry erupted "But I wouldn't trust Ed with your life Louis! It isn't the same! He isn't your alpha! How could I?... Do you understand how I would feel knowing you could be anywhere in Europe, maybe in deadly danger and have absolutely no power about it. Not being able to protect you? And to protect our child? Worse, that I would be the one that allowed it to happen?"

Louis was crying now. Of course he understood. And he couldn't even be angry at Harry. The reason he had not talked for two days, was that he was sure he would brake down completely if he opened his mouth in Harry's presence. And he couldn't do that. He needed to be strong to convince his alpha to let him go.

"But, Harry, it is my sister, I might, never see her again... I need to go. I really do..."

"Baby" the king said softly reaching to his omega. "I am sorry. Really. But you couldn't do anything for her. She already has all the best doctors around her. And your mother is there as well."

"This is not the point" Louis spat back a bit socked that Harry said that "of course I couldn't like, save her. But I need to be there. If, she... dies. I need to see her a last time and tell her goodbye. And she needs all the love and support she can get! What would you do if it was Gemma, or Niall? Of course you would go and brave of dangers to see them one last time!" The king bit his lower lips and looked crushed and so so guilty but he slowly shook his head.

"I am sorry Lou. I won't let you go. I can't. I am so sorry"

Louis let him hug him and they went to sleep tightly wrapped around each other. But the omega had seen the hesitation and guilt in his alpha's eyes and knew what he had to do. In the morning, while Harry was holding a private council with a few of his ministers, the omega prince called for Zayn and Ed to come in his chambers. He informed them that they had to prepare their things and get ready for travel. They would be his companions and assure his security during the trip to go to his sister's bedside. Harry had approved of the trip. Both the men seemed extremely surprised but didn't discuss the omega's orders. Of course, in the afternoon Harry came in their chambers like a fury, pressing Louis harshly against a wall. He was standing there in all his alpha height, holding Louis' arm roughly and face distorted with wrath.

"How can you? How could you do that Louis?" he asked harshly "How could you lie to my men and pretend I was ok with something I very explicitly refused? How could you be so sneaky and disrespectful after all I have done for you?!"

He saw the hurt on Louis' face. He knew he was hurting his arm, but his words were even more painful. The thing was that it wasn't only painful for Louis but also for Harry himself. He hated himself for telling that. He hated himself for hurting Louis. For having Louis cry and beg and so sad and miserable. Louis was only made to giggle happily, or to smile bright with his dreamy mouth and eyes, his small pointy canines on display, or to moan under him overwhelmed with pleasure. Louis wasn't supposed to cry and certainly not by Harry's fault! He harshly pulled him towards him. He didn't want to hurt him because he was pregnant. And because he was _Louis_. But he was so utterly frustrated, he didn't know what to do. Finally he sat down on the bed and kind of bent Louis over, slapping him pretty hard on the bum. Even before his hand actually touched him, he knew it was the worse thing he could have done.

Louis squeaked in surprise and then moaned lowly. Harry was already excited. He hold the back of the prince's neck and roughly crushed their lips together, abusing his husband' mouth. It was dirty and hard and desperate. And so so good. Finally they had to pull away to take their breath. Louis was panting heavily. Mouth bruised and puffy, his lips covered in spit, shiny and obscene. He looked so beautiful. Harry just grunted like and animal and took of all of his omega clothes in record time.

Louis was flushed on his lap, bare and exposed. He definitely had gained weight and was desperately beautiful. The baby bumped was beginning to show ever so slightly. Or maybe it was just the king's imagination. Harry wondered if he might actually die from how much he loved and wanted and absolutely worshipped Louis. He harshly thrusted his thumb in the small omega's hole. All the way in, without any other foreplay. Louis let out a loud moan from pain and surprised. Thankfully, he was half hard and his ass was already lubricated with slick. The intrusion was still painful. And shocking more than anything. It didn't matter how filthy and demanding Harry was in bed, he usually made sure to prep Louis well and not to hurt him. He was especially big on the foreplay and on fingering him open slowly so that he was always prepared for actual penetration.

Not this time it seemed. And Louis couldn't help but think it was so hot. His alpha just taking what he wanted from him. Harry turned his big thumb inside him, doing wide circles. He didn't aim at pleasuring the omega. He was just making him lose for him. Louis moved up and tried to escape the uncomfortable feeling. But with his other hand on his shoulder, Harry pushed him down on his finger, maintaining him in place while he was roughly stretched open. He removed his thumb after a few minutes and spanked Louis hard again. Louis moaned louder and bit at Harry's neck, to try to hide his shame.

"Fucking slut" the alpha groaned. But weirdly it was a compliment and Louis took it as such. Harry unbuttoned his trousers and took them down just enough to let his big angry cock tower out. No matter how many times he saw it, Louis was always surprised and both scared and excited at how big it was. He still didn't really understand how that could fit into him. He had observed his hole with a mirror in the bathroom and it seemed so small and tight compared to Harry's monster cock. He didn't have time to continue his self questioning. Harry lifted him up and very simply sat him back on his cock, pushing him all the way with a swift move. Louis' mouth fell wide opened in a silent scream. It was the first time he was filled so quickly. The stretch on his rim was incredible and he felt so full he thought he could explode any second. He passed his arms around Harry's neck and hold him impossibly close. The alpha didn't leave him any time to adjust, he lifted him up and pushed him back down again hard and fast. This time Louis screamed high and loud, tightening his grip on Harry's shoulders. The alpha continued, thrusting upwards now at the same time he slammed Louis back on his cock. Louis' whole body was tensing at the overwhelming sensations. His now hard dick was bouncing against their bellies, his nails scratching at the soft skin of Harry's neck and shoulders.

But the King decided he didn't like that. He untangled Louis' arm away from his neck and forced them behind the omega's back. He maintained them there with one of his huge palms. The other one was still on the small prince's side, pushing him up and down on his cock. Louis found himself bouncing on Harry's cock, his hand stuck behind his back and his legs in thin air on each side of Harry's thighs. He basically had no leverage at all, nothing to what hold onto. He just had to take it. Take the hard pounding assaults of Harry's dick that made him bounce mercilessly on his lap. And that was just so good! He let out a continuous moan now. It was louder every time Harry fucked into him, but it never stopped in between the strokes. He tried to move to meet Harry's thrusts. But with nothing to push himself up with, he could only wriggle weakly against the alpha. 

Harry's eyes were completely blown and black. He actually looked a bit scary, watching Louis being fucked so intensely. With his hand holding his fingers, Harry moved towards Louis' hole and made them touch the place where he was disappearing inside the small omega. Touching their connexion point was both weird and so exciting.

"Yeah! You like having my cock inside you Louis. You are my dirty little slut. You love my dick so much. Look at you, so thirsty for it. So open and willing to have me inside, pounding into you. Wrecking you on my lap with you little hole so stretched around my big cock, so full of me".

Louis moaned even louder. Having Harry touch at his stretch rim, fuck into him plus talk filthily was all too much. Harry bent over and captured his lips to make him shut up, licking into his mouth and shoving his tongue all the way in. Louis could feel on his face the hard breaths the King took and expired through his nose while basically fucking his mouth with his tongue.

"You are so full of me," he whispered into his mouth. "So full of my tongue and of my cock and of my baby. Because you are MINE. And every part of you is mine. And I will fuck you and have you knocked up all the fucking time Louis". His alpha had completely taken over. Harry spoke in his alpha voice

"You keep you hands behind your back baby" he said before he stopped holding them and gripped Louis hips forcefully. This gave him more leverage to lift and slam Louis onto his cock even harder and faster. Louis let his hand in his back as instructed, arched his back under the strength of the thrusts and threw his head back and screamed even louder. The alpha was fucking into his spot every time, filling him up so well. That was probably the best Louis ever felt during sex. And that was an accomplishment because Harry always made him feel so good.

"Hazza! Yeah here!" the small omega squeaked. The king tightened his grip on his hips and drove even faster into Louis. Suddenly he removed one of his hand and spanked Louis hard on the butt cheek. Louis let out a delighted moan and Harry began to spank him in rhythm with his thrusts. His slaps were quite harsh and let Louis' skin red and raw but the omega was so turned on, he absolutely loved it. At a particularly hard slap, he came untouched all over his tummy and Harry's shirt. He couldn't help but reach forward with his hands and grab tightly around Harry's neck. The alpha let him, kissing at his hair and whispering praises and love declarations into his fluffy locks. Meanwhile he just slammed Louis one last time on his cock and locked him down there, his knot extending while he was buried deep into Louis, making small eight figures against Louis's spot.

The king let himself fall backwards onto the bed, his arms tightly wrapped around Louis, who spent the next fifteen minutes on his alpha's chest, his knot locked deeply into him. Even after he had stopped flooding Louis with his semen, and his knot was actually going down, they stayed like this. He didn't go to pull out and Louis didn't ask, breathing heavily against his neck and sometimes kissing and biting gently while the alpha hold him tight, eyes locked on the ceiling.

"Ok, Lou. You will go." Harry finally said softly still a bit out of breath. "But you will take Ed and Zayn and your maid and a whole shit-load of medicine with you. And you will travel through France following a path I decide. And you will be absolutely careful and listen to Ed like he was me. And you will be safe and safely come back to me".

Louis raised his head and dared to look at his alpha. Harry had small tears at the corner of his eyes, ready to fall down. But he gave Louis a bright loving smile when they locked eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok! Harry basically did like Henry the VIIIth and broke away from the Pope and the catholic church! His reasons are a lot more noble and cuter though I have to say lol!
> 
> The technique of fire ships as been used the most famously by the English navy under Elizabeth I to defeat the Spanish 'Glorious Armada'.
> 
> Also if you are wondering about the origin of the title for this fic, it comes from a phrase French king Henri IV allegedly said when he renounced Protestantism and converted to Catholicism to actually become king. He said "Paris vaut bien une messe" (Paris is well worth a mass) meaning his baptism was a small price to pay for the French crown.


	17. Chapter XVII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah i am back from the dead. Here is the new chapter and be ready for the grand finale pretty soon (promised!!)
> 
> Thanks a lot to Kat [AuthorOfTheMoment](http://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorOfTheMoment) for editing the chapter!

Louis rested his head on the meager pillow and let a satisfied breath out. They had stopped for the night at a small traveler's inn in Douai, a small town in the North of France. That morning they had crossed the Channel through Dover and Calais. They were heading to Reims, where the Count of Roucy offered them hospitality and a few men to escort them to the Prussian border. They were travelling incognito and for the moment everything had gone as planned. Louis snuggled closer to Louise, who was sharing his straw mattress, and the maid passed an arm around the little prince's middle.

The doctor had given her a very quick class on what to do if Louis faced any bad symptoms during the travel. As a maid, she had already help a few ladies of the court through their pregnancies and even delivered a couple of them. But she wasn't a doctor and had to learn the effects of the remedies that the King had insisted they took with them in case of an emergency. For the moment, everything was going smoothly. Louis hadn't been sick on the boat and they travelled slow enough on land to not hurt or exhaust him too much.

Aside from Louise, the prince was accompanied by Ed and Zayn. At the beginning Harry wanted to make them travel with guards as well, but finally decided against it. It was wiser if there were as few as possible. A bigger group would attract attention and make it more dangerous for Louis. It was better to make it a secret trip. The prince heard a louder snore from Zayn while he wondered what Harry was doing. If he was already in bed, and if he was missing him. Louis was missing him terribly even though he had let only the previous day. He could feel a physical ache in his chest at the absence of his alpha. But he also had to admit he liked this trip. He liked being away from the castle that was pretty much a golden prison for him during those last months. He liked watching the countryside change as they advanced. He liked the wind on his face and the feeling of excitement, freedom, adventure that grew in his stomach. As worried as he was for his sister, he felt kind important, crossing Europe with a mission, and in secret. This was something he had not felt for a very long time. Maybe never, actually.

They arrived in Reims the next day and Louis was retrieved quietly. The count was a distant cousin that Louis had never met. He knew Henri despised him and judged him weak and lacking ambition. But the small prince found himself liking the Count a lot. He was clearly enjoying his wealth and situation without trying to enter the game of powers and courtier life. Since they had passed the most dangerous area that was going along Holland, they accepted the small escort the Count gave them and two days later they were at Charlotte's side.

It was good that they had finally arrived because Louis was beginning to feel really exhausted with the travel. Even if they took long breaks and tried to go slow, the bumping of the carriage and the general discomfort of the trip tired the small omega more and more. He also had begun to get light headaches and nausea though he preferred not to complain about it. He knew his companions were worried for his health and probably would have decided to take a day off for him.

When he arrived, Louis was greeted by his mother. It was expectedly emotional. After all, they had not seen each other for half a year now and so much had changed since then.

The usually fresh-faced Queen was really tired. She also seemed older and Louis tried not to cry over the fact. But Charlotte's state was heartbreaking. She didn't leave the bed and even then was in constant pain. She was absolutely enormous, her face and body were swollen. She didn't glow like a pregnant woman would normally and looked really sick. Her skin was nearly grey. She was feverish and a maid had to constantly apply a wet cloth on her forehead to relieve her a bit. She was too exhausted to eat and the Queen had to force her to drink consommé twice a day. In spite of all that, she seemed to really light up when she recognized her little brother at her bed side. That gave Louis the confirmation he did the right thing coming to visit.

The Empress was due during the week and the doctors tried to advance the delivery. In her state, Charlotte couldn't handle much more and they were scared that if they didn't hurry, she wouldn't have enough strength to give birth. The atmosphere at the court was needless to say, terrible with the Emperor away fighting and his wife and heir in such a delicate situation. Louis was really impressed with his mother. This woman that was usually quite shallow and frivolous, all about party and pleasure, was in command here, ordering a foreign court with authority and skills. Without her, the house would have been completely lost.

Like he was inspired by the freedom during the travel, Louis felt inspired by her strength. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew this trip was going to change him. Was changing him right now. More and more, he understood he doesn't want to be a small, weak, submissive omega when he goes back.

With Louis there, the Queen could rest more. They took turns at Charlotte's side, never leaving her alone. The rhythm was tiring for the small prince but he refused to let it affect him. He made Louise and the boys promise not to tell his mother he was pregnant himself. If she had known, she certainly wouldn't let him do it. They reluctantly agreed but didn't leave his side, encouraging him to sleep while they watched his sister for him.

After three days of this rhythm, Louis was nearly as grey as Charlotte and the Queen who wasn't stupid, cornered him one afternoon they sat at the small table on the side of the Empress' bed.

"Louis, my little one, you have to rest, you look nearly as bad as Charlotte. Do you...? Is it the travel that tired you so much?"

The prince hesitated a few seconds and looked quickly at Louise who was massaging his sister's feet. "Yes it is. And you know, just the worry is making me sick. We are all tired." He tried to brush it off but knew his tone was a give-away. Even he himself didn't believe a word he said. The Queen frowned. And Louise, the traitor, let out a small cough.

"What is it Louis?" the Queen asked now with a fiercer tone. "I don't need to worry about you as well, so please tell me what is going on!"

Louis lowered his head and finally let out with a small shy voice.

"It is... I am... pregnant"

There was a stunned silence. And the Queen finally repeated "You... you are pregnant?" in a whisper. If the situation wasn't so tensed, Louis would have laughed at her expression of utter shock.

"Yes..." he didn't know what to tell really.

"But... but ambassador Payne didn't tell us anything about that!" she mumbled. Louis wasn't aware of any of this.

"Well, I don't know. It is recent. Maybe, we wanted to wait a bit to make it public..."

"Does Harry know?" the Queen cut him suddenly.

Louis looked at her perplexed. "Yeah... of course" he said hesitant.

"And he let you come here?" she asked again suspiciously.

"Yes" the small prince said, quite proud actually. "He... understood I had to. He didn't want but he knew that was the thing to do". Voicing this out loud made him feel a rush of love for his alpha who was probably sick with worry over him. They had sent a message to London from Reims and another one after they arrived in Prussia but Harry probably only received the first one yet.

"Oh, Louis" the Queen said, tears in her eyes. "My baby, you shouldn't have. You... congratulations... that's so... soon". She quickly wiped her eyes and hugged Louis fiercely.

"Lou!" It was Charlotte. Her voice was weak and shaky and she couldn't open her eyes completely. "Lou! I am so happy for you" she whispered again. They rushed to her side and Louis took her hand and squeezed it lightly. Her small smile was more of a grimace, and her face was covered in sweat but she seemed happier than Louis had seen her since he arrived.

"Yeah Lottie" he said whispered lovingly, pushing back her sweaty hair from her forehead. "A little cousin for your daughter and for your baby".

The Empress let out a strangled laugh. "Oh Lou..." she breathed. "I wish... I don't think so. I hope your pregnancy is not gonna finish like this..."

"Lottie!" their mother said firmly "don't talk like that. You are going to be fine and Louis as well." Her tone became sweeter and she caressed the young woman's face. "I know it is difficult and I know you are in pain. But you are my strong, stubborn little Charlotte and you will do it. You will show us all how brave you are and you will have this little monster for us to love".

After that, the Queen didn't let Louis stay with Charlotte in the night. During the day, the Empress asked to see her daughter for a bit. The toddler stayed with her nurse in another part of the castle. The queen was scared it would weary her too much but she couldn't resist Charlotte's desperate pleas. It was the first time Louis met his niece as well. The little girl was charming with her blond locks and big blue eyes, spitting image of her mother. The baby didn't stay more than one hour before she became agitated and they had the nurse take her out. But the little time made Charlotte happier. Even her complexion seemed to find back a bit of colours. She also ate her soup more easily.

The improvement didn't last long though. She was in labour the same night. Three panicked doctors rushed to her side, joining the Queen, Louis, and his maid. Charlotte was in a lot of pain, every contraction draining more and more life out of her. When she passed out, they had to wake her up making her breathe salts. The Queen asked Louis to get out.

"Louis, it is going to be a complicated birth. You should leave. I don't want you worrying for your own labour. And we don't need you to panic here or pass out or something."

He surprised even himself when he replied firmly that he would stay and that they didn't have to worry about him, he was not going to create problems. His mother watched him for a few seconds, her face unreadable. Was she... proud? A little impressed?

"Alright. Help then." she just replied. "Take this cloth and put it on her hair, wipe the sweat, talk to her, take her hand". Louis took a second to process the information so she urged him "move Louis come on!" Meanwhile Louise was helping the doctors by holding Lottie's legs in the air. She wasn't very dilated but was loosing blood more and more at each contraction. Each one was wrecking her body, making her arch on the bed and scream. The doctors didn't want to give her a potion that would diminish the pain because they were scared it could make her doze off. Two hours passed, full of Charlotte's tears and screams of agony. Louis felt sick and couldn't feel his hands that his sister was crushing during contractions. But he couldn't think about himself. Someone had opened a window and the fresh air seemed to calm the Empress down a bit. But everyone grew more and more worried when contractions seemed to tone down and then stop.

Charlotte was now in and out of consciousness and the doctors were talking amongst themselves while Louise and the Queen cleaned her skin with cold cloths. Louis just kept caressing her hair and face. She looked so young and small, here on this giant bed. It was the complete opposite of the image he had of her when she visited him at the convent. A mischievous princess full of life and expectations.

The doctors came to talk to the Queen. "Your Highness, we... we think we will either have to save the Empress or the child" they finally said. The Queen didn't respond straightaway.

"Are you sure? How... why?" she finally breathed.

"The... contractions have stopped. If we leave it longer, the baby is going to die for sure. He is going to suffocate. But if we force the delivery... with a potion, it will probably kill the mother. She lost too much blood already. Her only chance is we operate and remove the child. If we... leave it like this, they will probably both die".

The queen took her head into her hands. "Oh my god." she whispered, tears in her eyes. She had a bit of blood spread on her face now and looked ready to pass out but her voice was strong when she ordered "Save her. Save the Empress."

Another doctor jumped into the conversation "the thing is... the Emperor should decide. And we don't know what his choice is. We can't really do anything without his consent".

The French queen glared at him. "You just told me that if you do nothing, they will both die." She spoke clearly, enunciating every syllable. "The emperor is not here. We have no time to reach him. I tell you, save the mother." Her tone was one the verge of aggressive now.

"We... I am not sure we can take this responsibility." the second doctor finally said.

"Then I take full responsibility." she replied fiercely. "The emperor adores his wife, he would choose her without thinking. They are still young they will have other kids. And if they don't they already have an heir. Now you will process and save my daughter!" She was like a tigress, ready to claw and scratch to protect her child. Once again, Louis was surprised and appreciative of his mother's strength. He realised how little he really knew her.

The doctors asked them to all leave while they operated but the Queen refused and she stayed alone with them while Louis and Louise left. The maid forced him to have a small diner and to take his restoratives but worry was killing them. Finally he fell asleep with exhaustion and woke up panicked in the middle of the night.

"Louise! Louise!" he screamed shaking the maid that was laying next to him. She woke up disoriented.

"My prince what is it?" she rushed.

"It... what happened do you know? What time is it? Is Charlotte ok?"

Louise smiled and the prince thought he might die with relief.

"We didn't want to wake you up. But yes she is ok! Your mother came after the intervention and your sister is saved."

He reached and hugged her, sobbing a bit with relief. He felt the tension he didn't know he had, leaving his body.

"Thank god" he whispered. "Oh my god. That's fantastic. Oh, Louise I am so happy!" he managed to say in between sobs.

"But my prince, it is a true miracle!" Louise added, caressing his hair. "The child lives as well. He is a true fighter that baby. No question he is a future king." Louis couldn't even respond. He was overwhelmed. That was a true miracle. Charlotte would have been absolutely devastated to lose her child even if it meant she survived.

"He is from your family that is for sure as well" she added sweetly. "Definitely a fighter" she added a bit amused at Louis' perplexed expression.

"Are we... fighters?" he whispered unsure, pulling back from the hug.

She laughed quietly and just shrugged "Of course you are. All proud, strong, and stubborn as mules". Her eyes sparkled and Louis hugged her again. He truly thought of her as a friend more than a maid. And she couldn't compliment him any more bluntly. Knowing that she felt that about him made him proud and confident. They went back to sleep and woke up three hours later, rushing to visit Charlotte and her newborn son.

The Empress still looked pale and tired but the difference was incredible. She was grinning to the rather large baby in her arms. He was all pink and chubby and dribbling happily under his mother's gaze. Both Louis and his maid couldn't restrain a few tears.

"Louis look, it is Ulrich junior", Charlotte laughed. "Stronger than the Prussian eagle". She gave him his little nephew and Louis was absolutely terrified to not hold him properly or to hurt him. All of the women laughed at his expression.

"Louis, where is your omega instinct my dear?" the French queen mocked him with fondness.

The small prince was embarrassed. The truth is he never saw a baby that young, never-mind held one. The only baby he saw was the child of one of his mother's favourites when he was still in France. And the child was a toddler already. A wave of panic swarmed him. He was pregnant himself and had absolutely no clue about children. He never thought about that and vaguely assumed he would instinctively know. But now, holding his little nephew, he confronted his situation and was scared. Would he be a good father? God he was going to be a father when he was so young himself. That was so crazy.

Everyone around seemed to grasp his panic and the Queen gently took little Ulrich in her arms.

"Louis, breath my darling. Don't panic like that I was teasing you. Of course you have an omega instinct, you are going to do great".

Louise came behind him and gently massaged his shoulders.

"My prince, come on sit down. I am going to order you some breakfast at the kitchen. You can eat here with their Highnesses your mother and sister."

He let himself fall on a sofa, still plenty of terrible scenarios of parenting failure in his head. But the Queen didn't let him think too much.

"Look, Louis. I am knitting a small outfit for the baby." She showed him a small baby blue shirt that was half finished. "Would you like to join? Maybe make some socks, or a bonnet?" He groggily nodded and began to choose between the several colours of yarns at her side. The knitting helped him relax and made him focus on something else, clearing his head of the anxious thoughts. Louise came back with breakfast for everyone and they spent the whole day in Charlotte's chamber, knitting, nibbling, admiring the baby, and catching up. Indeed, the days before didn't let much time for Louis and his family to actually talk. That was so good, in the comfort of the chamber, to tell them about everything that had happened. To tell them about Niall and Gemma, the entire story with Aiden, the new law, and Sir Corden's ideas. To tell them about Harry.

Louis stayed two more weeks in Prussia. It really felt like a holiday. It was so good to be with his mother and sister. His little niece and nephew were delightful and helping to take care of them actually soothed him a bit. He was getting more used to the presence of an infant and learnt basic parenting behaviour. Charlotte was getting better and better by the day. She was her old self again and everything was perfect. Louis had to go back, however. The more he stayed the more the trip could be dangerous since his pregnancy was advancing.

He knew Zayn and especially Ed were delighted to go, since he was bored out of his mind there. He was made for intrigues, wars, politics, not nursing newborn children. The news they got from the front against the Danes were quite good. Since France and Spain had now joined Prussia against the Danish army, the allies seemed to have an advantage. Battles were still rough, though. The war was more North so they didn't really have to worry about them on their travel back. Northern France was battle free. What they had to fear were the renegades, bandits, and other loose mercenaries that were pillaging villages and attacking travelers, taking advantage of the war. These bandits were proliferating in the region, a lot more than when they had traveled the first time.

Louis knew that Ed was particularly worried about that. He instructed them to not reveal their identity by any mean if they were confronted with them. Indeed, that was one thing for the bandits to attack random travelers. That was something else to find and capture a Prince of England. The first days of travel were peaceful, but difficult for Louis. Only now had he realised how much a month more of pregnancy made him weaker, more tired, and more subject to pain and discomfort. He had gained a little bit of weight but wasn't showing yet, so the amount of difference shocked him even more. Louise had to double his dose of restorative. She also massaged him with plant unguents and they had to stop sometimes four times a day for Louis to nap or rest a bit.

He felt really guilty. He knew that wasn't the best thing to do concerning their safety, but he really couldn't do better. One night at a travelers' inn, they heard two gentlemen talking about attacks of mercenaries that happened close-by.

"Yes, an entire village. They killed half the men and took hostages the rest of them. Their families have to pay ransoms if they want to see them alive" one of the men said, sipping his beer.

"Pfft" the other one replied disgusted, "and even if they manage to pay, I wouldn't bet on their survival. They probably are gonna kill them anyways. These Danish scums have no honour".

Ed jumped in the conversation.

"Do you know where it happened?" the red haired asked worried. "We are traveling East" he said gesturing to Louis and the rest, who were eating silently.

"This my good man! It happened only a few kilometers away. But you never know if they stay close or not. We also heard tales of bandits attacking travelers on the main road from here to Douai" he added. "Not even sure they are Danish. Everyone is becoming crazy. There is no order anymore" he added before spitting on the floor with scorn.

"Fucking hell" Ed swore. They chatted a little more about the situation. The men were rather drunk and delighted to have a conversation companion.

"Maybe we could head South-East" Zayn suggested to Ed when he came back to their table. "The path may be safer?"

"Maybe" the spy replied pensive. "But we will have to head North afterwards anyways to get to Calais and take the boat. Whatever we do, we will be in the bandits filled zone."

They headed a bit South the next day, but of course what had to happen, happened. Ed heard a shifty noise coming from a bush. He quickly rode to reach the side of the carriage Louis and the maid were in.

"Get on the floor" he said urgently. "Whatever happens remember, don't tell who you are". Louise jumped down on the floor dragging the prince with her and covered him with her body as best as she could. Zayn, who was the coach driver, fastened the horses pace a bit. Ed stayed close to the carriage, hand ready on his sword.

The next thing Louis knew, there was shot fired in the sky and around six or seven bandits jumped out of the bushes off the side of the road. They were screaming like they were possessed. Ed and Zayn quickly decided that they were too many. Resisting and fighting against them would only mean they would all be killed. Surround without fighting was the best solution.

"See what we got there" a disgusting man with a huge beard shouted to his companions. He came close to the carriage, looking through the window. The other men had disarmed Zayn and Ed. He opened the door with a rough move and dragged Louis and Louise out. The small prince was shaking from head to toes. The bandits quickly searched the carriage and were disappointed it didn't contain any richness.

"And who are you?" the man with the beard grunted. "Who is this delicious little piece of cake here?" he added touching Louis' hair with a menacing expression.

"We are from the Court of The Count Roucy in Reims" Zayn said in perfect French. The bandits grunted again. "Well the Count of Reims will have to pay if he wants to see this petit-four again" he added pointing at Louis. They all let out a raucous laughter.

"Come on" the man said, taking Louis by his hair and pushing him back in the carriage. He was probably the head of the gang. Louise, Ed, and Zayn were pushed in as well and one man took the reins. They were brought in a hunting house in the middle of the forest and locked in, bound hand and foot. The bandits cut a piece of Louis' hair to join it to the ransom letter before leaving them alone. The situation was quite dramatic. At least they had not physically abused any of them and they didn't know Louis was a prince. In this case, they would probably have sold him to the Danish army as a war prisoner. The Count of Roucy would surely understand it was Louis who was prisoner when receiving the message. There was no doubt he would pay as well. But as the travelers said the night before, there was no warranty that even with the ransom, they would be freed. This bandits were ruthless. Their prisoners had seen their faces really well. They probably wouldn't take the risk to let them live and possibly identify them in the future.

Ed knew all that but didn't tell the small prince. He was already panicked enough. His complexion was as grey as Charlotte at her worse. He was shaking like a leaf and nearly hyperventilating. After Louise managed to calm him a bit, the small prince just settled to cry silently. Louis was so ashamed to behave this way but he also knew hormones were a big part of it. They spent the entire rest of the day alone in the room they were locked in. Despite his efforts, Ed couldn't do anything against the ties of his hands and feet. They watched helplessly the natural light going darker and darker through the tiny fenced window. After what felt like eternity, they heard noises in the house again. The bandits had come back. They didn't visit their captives but sent a young girl do give them food and water.

The girl was probably sixteen, maybe seventeen. Her skin was as light as the most expensive marble. She had piercing blue eyes and blond, nearly white hair. If you asked Zayn, he would say she was the most beautiful woman he ever met - and being an ambassador he met a lot. She spoke a few word in French but her accent was a giveaway she was from Holland. She left as quickly as possible and the prisoners ate as best as they could with their ties.

"What do you think of her?" Ed whispered to Zayn. The ambassador took a second to process the question. Were they really going to talk girls in this situation? But Ed added soon "She is from Holland. Might be as much a prisoner as we are. They probably took her from her village or something. She could help us escape you think?"

"I... I don't know" Zayn said, getting a grip on himself. "What if she is with one of the men? We know nothing about her. She could be prisoner as much as accomplice."

"She seems scared" Ed added. "To me it seems she doesn't want to be here"

"But even if she is. She has no interest in helping us." Zayn said getting a bit annoyed. "They have probably blackmailed her to stay. Like if she leaves, they will kill her family or some shit."

"Yeah!" Ed replied in the same annoyed tone "but she really is our only chance isn't she? They won't let us go free after the ransom. They will kill us because we are witnesses and could identify them" he said a lot lower for Louis and Louise not to hear. "We have to win her over".

When the girl came back to take the empty plates, Zayn adressed her. They had decided he was the smoother and the less scary of the two men.

"So girl" he said gently "What is your name? Are you a prisoner like us?"

She stopped what she was doing and looked at him a bit shocked. Ed was right, she was definitely scared. She looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"I... I am Perrie" she finally said in a small voice. "I... am staying in another room and they let me out to cook for them and for the people they bring here sometimes" she added in a whisper.

"There have been a lot of other people before us?" Zayn asked.

"I... don't know. I have been here only two weeks. You are... the second group they brought"

"Do you know what happened to the others?" Ed interrupted and Perrie looked absolutely terrified.

"I... they told they sent them back when they got the money" she managed to stutter.

"But you don't believe them" Ed added, watching her carefully.

"I... I don't know." she said lowering her head. They could see two tears fall on the floor.

"Of course you know" Ed said categorically. "They killed them right?"

"I.. am not sure." She said more and more panicked. "But they came back to take shovels, and..."

"Why would they use shovels except for burying bodies?" he concluded for her. "Perrie we need your help" he said now pressing. "And you want to escape from here as well don't you?" he added gentler.

"But what do you want me to do?" she asked panicked. "if they find out they are gonna kill me! And when they are out of the house I am locked in my room. I can't help you at all!" She shook her head several times and took the last plates in a confused rush before leaving.

"She will help us" Ed predicted when she was out.

"You think?" Zayn asked unconvinced.

"Yes I feel it. She knows we are her only chance. And she can't close her eyes. She knows what they do to the hostages. She knows it is a matter of time they do the same to her as well."

Zayn couldn't help but smile the next day when Perrie brought them breakfast and lowly muttered "Do you... What would I have to do? If .... to help?".

"You cook right?" Ed immediately said. "You have access to cutlery" She silently nodded. "Then when you bring us food, bring them as well. They check you and the food don't they?" She nodded again. "You have to find a way to hide them in the food."

"How is that possible?" she whispered "If they find out they will kill me". Her big blue eyes were filled with terror.

"Perrie they will kill you anyways and you know it!" he rushed bitterly. He then checked on Louis who was still asleep, exhausted, in a corner of the room.

"Bake the bread with knives inside" he said. "Or put them in pies. What do I know, put them in your shoes, they probably are not going to check there"

"But even if... even if you get the knives, what... how can we escape. We don't know where we are. We have no horses, they will find us back for sure" she quietly whined.

"Let this to me" he just said. "Just bring us the knives" he replied.

"You... you have to promise to take me with you" she said then, it was between a plea and an order.

"Of course" Ed replied "Yes, we will escape together and we will help you to find back your family" he promised.

"They attacked us and killed my family" she said very slowly and her eyes filled with tears.

"Then we will take you with us" Zayn intervened. "We will help you if you help us. We promise."

The young girl watched him carefully, nodded once and left hurriedly. Now they just had to wait. Louis began to have a bit of fever. They were very uncomfortably installed, having to sit and sleep on the floor. The food was scares, the room was not heated and in the night, you could clearly see the breath in the cold air. Besides, he didn't have his restoratives and unguents and felt so weak. The men had given him their clothes to warm him up and make him a small mattress to sleep but it wasn't enough. Ed was scared that his state would be a difficulty more if they managed to escape.

Perrie brough them dinner in the night and there was nothing hidden there. She pleaded them to forgive her with her eyes and Ed just said "Come on Perrie, next time, you can do it" in a gentle tone which was quite unusual for him.

During the night, Louis coughed quite badly and was shaking, eyes feverish. In the morning, Perrie came looking victorious and excited. Ed didn't have to check the food to know she made it, she hid something in there. "Be ready this afternoon" he just told her when she left.

They ravaged the food and found two knives in the round loaf that they hurriedly hid under Louis' clothes mattress. They had to wait a few hours and the sound of horses leaving to be sure they were now alone in the house. Ed jumped into action. With the knives he cut his ties before working the other's ones. He tried to open the lock of the door with a knife but finally just destroyed it with his feet, hitting it repeatedly until it cracked down. They rushed outside and the men checked the house for weapons. Zayn just found an old axe and Ed took all the kitchen knives he found as well as a metal chain that was in the main room.

Ed's heartbeat suddenly rushed when he heard the noise of hoofs in the distance. The bandits were coming back. That was the worse scenario possible but there was no going back.

"Ok, everyone to the back door" he said calmly "we have to get the heck out of there"

"But... Perrie" Zayn said. "We can't leave her here" he added.

"I am very sorry but we don't have time to get her. We have to leave right now" Ed just said pushing the prince and Louise roughly towards the exit.

"We promised! They will kill her!" Zayn answered shocked.

"My mission is to protect Louis..." Ed just replied. But the small omega didn't let him finish.

"No we take her with us or we don't leave." His voice was a lot more sure than he was. "What kind of people are we if we let down the person that saved us?"

Ed grunted, exasperated and pushed the prince outside.

"Okay" he said fiercely "My prince and Louise you go hide in this bush" he pointed to a few small trees just outside the house. He nodded to Zayn and the ambassador rushed to find Perrie's room. Thankfully the key was on the lock and he opened it with ease. He put his finger on his lips to show her to be silent and just pulled her to join Ed. They placed her hunkered down in a corner of the room. Ed was just behind the main door and Zayn hid behind the couch.

The men opened the door with a loud bang. Ed let them all enter the room. Only four men had come back. When the last one was crossing the threshold he planted a knife directly in his head. The man screamed, not understanding what happened and dropped dead, members shaking. The three other men turned around in shock and Ed shot another knife directly at a bandit throat. While the man fell, the two others took their sword out, charging the spy.

Zayn jumped out from behind the couch and knocked his axe down on the skull of the closest man. Blood sprung out everywhere. The diversion gave Ed a second and he swoop down on the remaining bandit. They fought hand to hand for a few second and Ed circle his opponent throat with the chain, trying to suffocate him but Zayn just axed down the villain with a shot on his back. The guy spat blood on Ed's face while convulsing.

They didn't waste any more time, stealing the swords of the dead bandits, taking Perrie, that was still in the corner, hands on her ears and left.

"You know how to ride?" Ed asked the girl. She was still in shock and didn't answer. He took her by both arms and shook her roughly. "Hey! We have to flee. You have to follow us or we will abandon you" he said without compassion. "So can you ride?" he repeated. The young girl nodded. "Good! I'll ride with Louis" he said to Zayn "you take the other horses". They went to the bushes at the back of the house to find the maid and small omega.

Louise and Perrie were not the most assured riders. While Ed was in front, Louis in between his legs and trying to ride at full tilt, the two women were setting them back. Zayn stayed next to them, making sure they were still following. They made it out of the forest and rejoined the main road going to Douai but Ed decided not to follow it and to stay under the cover of the trees. Night came soon and Louis was clearly exhausted and sick but the spy wanted to push to the city, where they would be safer than sleeping in the woods. When they finally arrived, Ed had to hold Louis for the prince not to fall of the horse.

They rushed to the closest inn but Ed left his companions and directly went to the pub. Secret travel be damned, they had only one day left before reaching Calais and once in England they would be safe. He wanted to recruit men at the pub to travel with them and fight if they were attacked again. They were so close to the goal and he would have his prince back in England safe and sound. As he expected, a few men were playing cards, darts and sipping beer. He approached the scary ones, that were most probably professional travelers or mercenaries.

"What is your price gentlemen?" he asked without introduction. They looked at him unfazed.

"What do you want runt?" a man with a huge scary scar on the cheek grunted before spitting on the floor "leave us alone, you can't afford it" another one said without even looking at him.

Ed smiled. He was in his element again. He knew how to deal with these kind of men. It was easy, you just had to show you were stronger and they would listen. As quick as lightning, he grabbed the hair of the closest man, pulled his head towards him and pressed his blade against his throat, just hard enough to leave a light cut. The other men looked at him now and finally one said "go tell us what you want". Ed released the man and let himself fall on a chair at their table. That was it, he had his escort.

The next day, the small group, escorted by twenty robust men was riding to Calais where Zayn, in his quality of ambassador traded with the boat captain to get the men paid. This time around, Louis was very sick during the crossing of the channel. His health state was really worrying now and once in England they actually took two days off in Dover to call a doctor and have the small prince rest. It was concluded the omega was just generally exhausted. The doctor gave him potions and more restoratives that made his fever tone down. When they finally arrived in London, it was like they had left centuries ago.

Perrie couldn't believe Louis was the actual prince of England. Never would have she thought she helped save such an important person. During the travel, especially when they were in England, ambassador Malik and her grew closer. Zayn couldn't hide his fondness towards the young woman. She couldn't deny how attractive and interesting he was and she was just generally so thankful for them to have saved her.

Harry couldn't wait for his Louis to be home. He was to arrive in the day. Messengers kept informing him of their progress since they arrived in England. He was just out from a meeting with Count Isnikov, Kendalla's husband. He had finally put his cards on the table and told Harry why he partook in the war. The truth was he was in disgrace with the Russian Tsar. The Sovereign had a new favourite that was very hostile to the count and his family, therefore, Isnikov was in a very delicate situation in Russia.

Kendalla knew it of course and as the foxy, clever and devilish woman she was, she went to France and finally to England to court the foreign kings and gain a new situation for her husband and herself. With the war in England, the Byzantine princess saw the opportunity and had the Count come and fight for Harry. Isnikov was now asking the King for a noble title and a land in England, as thanks for his good and loyal service. Harry wasn't really surprised. He knew Kendalla was capable to do anything for her needs. And he was always wary of the count's motives, now knowing them was actually reassuring.

"What do you think about it?" Harry asked to Liam, who had taken Ed's place as his closest advisor in the red-haired absence.

"I think it is an honest plea" the French ambassador responded. "After all, he did help you a lot during the war. He is also loyal and you get along well. If you give him a title, you will surely count him among your allies and supporters."

Harry nodded. "Yeah that is true. And I do like him. I think he is a good man. Besides," he added with a mean smile "it is not like we are missing available titles and lands in the North with all the fools that joined under Cara's banner." He thought for a second before ordering "Go tell my secretary that I will have Isnikov made Count of something in the North. And he will became one of our good sirs as soon as possible."

Louis arrival was bittersweet. Of course Harry was absolutely delighted to have his little omega back. But he was taken aback by his state. It was clear, especially for someone that didn't see him for a long time, that Louis was sick and weak. Harry had his husband immediately taken to their chamber were the doctor rushed to examine him.

"You came back to me my love" Harry whispered that night in Louis' hair while spooning the small prince. "I love you so much".

"Harry, I love you too" Louis said in a small happy voice "I missed you so much". He could feel the hard on of the King against his back but also knew Harry wouldn't do anything because he knew Louis was exhausted.

The sensation of having his alpha wrapped around him like that, of feeling his body against his, overwhelmed by his divine smell made Louis dizzy. But that was a good dizziness. A lot different form the sick one he experienced during the trip.

"You know" Louis said seriously "I want to thank you so much for letting me go. I know... not a lot of alphas would have agreed to it. And I know that makes you even more special than you already are. You really are the perfect alpha. And I could have never hoped for anyone better. I really love you so much Haz".

He felt the king kissing and biting the back of his neck and shoulder before letting a small whine.

"Pipe down Lou" he said jokingly "you are the light of my life. You are the most perfect omega ever". Louis heart clenched a bit at the childish and angelic tone of his voice. "And I love you more!"

That was a bit unexpected. Louis had forgotten how Harry could be silly on purpose sometimes. War and responsibilities definitely didn't had left them enough time to just be themselves, too young men in love.

The next two months went smoothly. Louis was now clearly showing at 6 months pregnant. The doctor had been worried that the trip affected the growth of the child. But if it was true when he came back, it was clearly untrue now. Harry was so happy to see his little chubby husband, with his very round belly walking around the castle. They had celebrated Christmas and Louis' 14th birthday very privately, only with Gemma and Ashton visiting and Zayn and Perrie, who were now engaged. The king had accepted the marriage proposal from Zayn to the young woman really easily. After all, she was the one that saved his dear husband and he wanted her happiness and well being more than anything. Harry's mother was still in residence in Ireland, where she allegedly enjoyed a burning romance with Sir Twist. At the beginning, things were very tensed between Harry and Ashton. The king still couldn't forgive the Count about his sister's abduction. But the all around Christmas spirit and the happiness of Louis, Perrie and Gemma finally overwhelmed them and they separated good friends again.

"Harry, my King!" Ed said excitedly entering the alpha's cabinet holding a bundle of papers.

Harry jumped from his chair. He was pretending to read letters from his envoy in Central Europe but in fact daydreaming about Louis in his silky green robe, his favourite one that made him look so soft. "What is it?" he just grunted trying to put up a front.

"Danielle' letters! The maid you know." Ed precised when seeing that his master was not completely focused "we finally managed to break the code. And guess what?"

"What?" Harry just asked dumbly.

"She was writing to this Marcus, the guy that hired the bandits for the attack of the theater."

"Yeah?"

"Yes!" Ed said excitedly "And we have an address. We know where he is!"

At this Harry finally jumped. "Then let's go! Prepare the guards. Let's arrest this scum."


	18. Chapter XVIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> huge thanks to the lovely [AuthorOfTheMoment](http://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorOfTheMoment) for the beta work :)  
> She writes as well if you want to check her stories!

Harry gathered a crew of Royal guards. Count Maximilian, and of course Ed were coming as well. They were going to take the place of this vile Marcus traitor by storm. More than that, Harry hoped that the place would actually deliver some secrets about the whereabouts of Princess Cara. Surely, this place in the most dangerous part of the city, on the bank of the Thames near the docks, was some kind of Scottish headquarters in the heart of London. Marcus would also spit valuable information on the rack. While getting into his armour, Harry couldn't help but think it felt like the time of the grand reckoning at home. He was tired of the war, his people were tired of the war. Louis was due soon. He just wanted to govern in peace again and have this Cara bitch rot in hell.

Ed entered the room in his fighting attire. "Are you ready my King?". They locked eyes and nodded knowingly. Both of them knew it was an important moment. Both of them could feel in their guts the excitation of combats and the slight fear that always came along. They rode to the docks like ghosts in the night, all disguised under big black mantles. They had to force the wooden fence that closed the door of what looked like a decaying entrepôt. As soon as they entered they were hit with the pestilent smell of rotting flesh. The guards cracked their stones to light up their torches and have a look at the sinister place. The depot was filled with crates, piles of wood and steel, some of them covered with huge tarpaulins. The men wandered in the place and began rummaging around in spite of the horrible smell. Suddenly, Harry and Ed heard a gasp. They rushed to the guard, who was now illuminating a cadaver attached to a chair.

"He was under this tarp" the guard said showing the piece in his hand.

They got closer to the body. The poor devil was dead for a few months now, probably. His clothes were hanging on bare bones and rests of tendons covered with vermin. Harry put a hankie over his mouth to lessen the horrible smell and avoid to breathe what could probably carry diseases.

"Who do you think it is?" he asked Ed, who was now searching the dead, completely oblivious to the smell or any other discomfort. "Do you think it is Marcus?"

"Could be" the spy snorted. "I don't think even his mother could tell" his wicked smile sent shivers down Harry's spine.

Other guards found documents on a small desk. Some coded letters, others with the Scottish seal. Harry ordered to pack them all. Surely this place had been important for the Scots, the documents could maybe help them in locate the Princess and few remaining rebels. But Harry was disappointed. He couldn't help it but for some reason, he had expected more from this trip. he really thought they were going to find something more. They kept going further and further in the depot but there was nothing except a dump, pieces of wood, rotting tools in steel. Harry was searching a bit pile of papers on the floor when he heard a loud bang.

"It is from outside!" Ed shouted-whispered. "Maximilian, the guards that are on the watch outside are under attack for fuck's sake". They rushed back to the middle of the depot to regroup with their men.

"You stay with the King and protect him!" Ed shouted to them, and the soldiers formed a protection net around Harry. They heard another loud bang and the wind blew a few of their torches, letting them nearly completely in the dark. A furtive figure appeared above them on the sort of half level that was doing like a sort of balcony. Ed immediately took his bow out and fired to the form but they didn't hear anything informing that he had touch his target. Guards were cracking their stones with panic to light up their torches again. When the room was illuminated again, the figure just climbed on the wooden guardrail and they were faced with Lady Michelle. She truly looked like a northern goddess, with her leather and metal armour, her short skirt covering only half her thighs. She had a shield and a sword in one hand, in the other, a small wooden blowpipe, like those used by Savage people in the New World. Before anyone could react, she blew on the pipe and aimed directly at Harry. He felt a small bite on his neck, just where the collar of his armour stopped. He let out a small sound and at that exact moment Ed was shooting at Michelle with his bow. She stopped the arrows with her shield. The guards were now filling their arquebuses with powder to shoot at the woman as well but Ed got distracted. Harry was still holding his neck and whining as low as possible. The spy rushed to him, and saw the small dart the prince had removed from his neck and was now holding in his hand, a bit dumbfounded. The sting was bleeding a bit, but what was really worrying, was the rim around was getting kind of purple and extending slowly.

Ed grabbed the dart and smelled the end of it. He knew it before he recognised the dreaded scent. It was poison. Cantarella. His eyes locked with Harry's and both men saw their mutual terror and helplessness. The guards were firing at Michelle now but she had taken refuge behind a big metal press that was there. When they stopped to reload, they heard her devious laugh.

"I killed your king!" She shouted in hysterics. "I killed your king and whatever you do to me, he will die! I am your only hope now! I am his only hope!" The guards were ready and fired again. The purple around the sting was getting darker and the colour was spreading more and more, following the veins along Harry's neck. The poison was spreading. Ed knew that if nothing was done in the next 5 minutes, the king was condemned. He had killed his fair share of people with Cantarella and knew the poison would soon disable the King to move. His muscles would become hard and frozen, his blood would stopped circulating and his heart would finally stop. He would also die in a terrible agony. He turned around.

"Stop fire! Stop fire!" he shouted. The guards took a few seconds to process the order. None of them had realised that Harry was poisoned. "Don't shoot at her! Don't shoot!" he repeated and she jumped out from behind the press. She climbed on the wooden board once more, standing on top of them fiercely.

"I have the antidote" she said and laughed again. Her laughter was blood-curdling. She truly looked like a devil creature from these pagan religions her Viking ancestors worshipped. "You surrender and I give it to him" she hissed. "You attack me again and he dies like the dog he is". Some soldiers raised their arquebuses at the insult, ready to fire but Ed shouted again.

"No! Don't shoot!"

Lady Michelle jumped from the balcony and landed on the ground gracefully. Harry was panting now, his hand still pressed against his neck. The poison kept spreading in his blood and he could feel the muscles from his arms and jaw already getting cold and hard and heavy. The pain that was coming with it made him groan and whine, as quietly as possible, but he was hurting more with each second and wasn't sure how long he could keep his self-control.

"We surrender! Give it to him!" Ed hissed behind his teeth. The guards watched him and Harry in shock. Were they really surrendering when they were facing only this one woman?

Michelle walked slowly towards them. And stopped a few meters away.

"I don't see you letting your weapons down" she said with an unctuous voice. Ed nodded his head once to signify to the guards to let down their arms. The soldiers hesitated a few seconds, eyeing their king for his order. Harry was not in a position where he could order anything. His head was spinning with pain, his entire body was shaken with spasms, sweat was running around his face and he had to fight with all his will and strength to not shout in pain and fall on the floor.

"Let your weapons down for fuck sake!" Ed roared and the guards finally disarmed. Lady Michelle didn't move and watched them with a big smirk. She turned around and walked to the chair where the cadaver was still attached.

"Poor Marcus" she said in a fake whiny voice. "He probably knew too much anyways, not a very big loss for anyone." She pouted a bit.

"Do you have the antidote now?" Ed tried very hard to control his voice.

"Yes" she said and grinned. "I am not sure I want to give it though" she pouted again.

"You... you said..." Ed said, his voice was shaking a bit now. He knew time was running out. She was their only hope. But did she really have an antidote or was it bluff all along?

She smiled again and turned around the chair, caressing the jaw of the skeleton, a bit like courtesans would tease their clients at the brothel.

"You don't have it, do you?" Ed chocked out. She stopped and glared at him.

"Yes I do. It is somewhere safe" she took a step towards them. "You still haven't disarmed". Ed locked eyes for a few instants before putting his head down a bit. he left his bow and arrows fall on the floor as well as the sword and dagger that were at his waist. Michelle didn't miss any of his moves, watching him very carefully. When he presented his hands in from him, like to show he had nothing left, she shook her head with a disgusted smile.

"Lose it all darling, no games with me!" The spy reluctantly took out the knife in his sleeve, the one in his boot and the small cutting stars at his belt. The lady watched him and still didn't move. He tried to stay still and finally threw on the floor the cheese cutter and the last blade he had under on of his arms. He had no weapons left at all, but he knew Harry was pressed by time. There was no time to play an try to out-clever the woman warrior. She seemed satisfied this time and turned around to walk back slowly to the corpse. He took her blade out and cut the cord that was retaining his arms against the armrests. The bones of the cadaver fell and dangled on each side of the chair. The right one fell on the grounds, parting from the body under the pull. She turned around and threw the cord to Ed.

"Tie yourself up darling, do it well tight for me" she added with a mocking tone and a mean smirk. Ed caught the rope and did what she asked. He tried to tie himself without tightening too much, but Michelle shook her head and pouted again. Harry was whining harder now. Half of his face was turning purple and his eyes were blood-shot. His body was uncontrollably shaking and finally he fell on his knees, still holding his neck with one hand. He put the other one on the floor as well and bent over, resting his head into his arm, sniffling with the blinding pain. Ed sped up and shouted

"Here you go. I am tied up, give him the antidote now!" he didn't want his voice to come out begging but they didn't have time anymore now. She motioned for the guards to come closer to her and then moved the chair the cadaver was on and revealed a hatch on the floor. She opened it was a kick of her foot and pointed for the guards to get in. They obeyed, completely discouraged. Harry writhed in pain and let out small screams and the soldiers hurried more. When the last guards had entered, she closed the trapdoor and locked it. Finally she walked really slowly towards Ed and the agonising King. On her way, she took a small vial that was hidden among a pile of small rocks. She filled a needle with the red liquid and hovered on top of the King. She brandish the needle and all but stabbed Harry on the neck with it. The King writhed again and whined a bit, but was too far gone for a stronger reaction. She straightened up and threw the needle somewhere in the room. In the same move, she took her sword out, turned around and hit Ed on the face with the handle with all her strengths. The spy couldn't avoid it and fell over, dizzy. She hovered above him and put her sole on his neck, pushing a bit to make him choke.

"I think it is time your King pays a visit to my mistress" she said menacingly. Harry had stopped whining and writhing and his breath were now appeased, knocked out a few meters from Ed and Michelle.

 

Maximilian woke up on the hard and cold floor. His head was turning still and he could feel liquid running down his face. He didn't have to check to know it was blood. His entire body was throbbing with pain. He tried to recall where he was and what happened. The heavy smell of fire made him come back to his senses really quickly. He was spread on the floor in front of a burning entrepôt. Everything came rushing back. Harry. The king and his men going to the entrepôt. Him and a few others staying outside on watch. Then explosions and panic, they were under attack. And then... he was blown away by an explosion and lost consciousness. And hell, the building was burning now. He jumped on his feet as fast as his state permitted. Ed? The king? Were they still inside? He tried to get closer to the building to see if there was any  way to get in but the entire depot was in flames. Even if he managed to enter, there was no way he couldn't save anyone. He would certainly die himself. If anybody was in this building, they were dead already.

He limped to the other bodies that were on the floor. Two of the guards were dead, two others were wounded. He helped them to get up and they moved away from the burning depot. Now that they were further, the noise of the fire and crackling building faded a bit and they could hear the street bells rang by night-watchmen. The fire division was probably on it's way. Maximilian looked around and sighted a bit. Thankfully they were at the docks, so the buildings there were inhabited and most of them were empty for now. It wasn't life threatening now and if the firemen managed to put out the fire, there would be no civilian victims. Since London was crowded, most houses were built really close to each other and of course made of wood so fires were the most dangerous and the most dreaded thing that could happen. Maximilian had the watchmen take care of the injured guards and stuck around until the fire was completely put out. There was not much left inside but as far as they knew there didn't seem to be any cadaver in there. Maximilian began to relax a bit, maybe Harry had managed to escape, or in the worse case, maybe he was kidnapped. That was still better than burnt and dead. His heart dropped though when the firemen opened a trapdoor on the floor and gasped in horror. He rushed to the scene. The royal guards were all there, trapped in the hatch. They had not burnt because they were in the ground, under the fire. But they had all died, suffocated by the toxic smoke and kind of cooked in the insufferable heat. One fireman turned out to puke. The began to pull them off the hatch one by one. Maximilian helped them, praying with all his heart that the king wasn't a part of them. He sighed a bit in relief when they had extracted all the corpses and neither the King, nor Ed were one of them.

"So, who are you?" One fireman asked the Dutch lord. "Do you know what happened here? To Royal guards?" Maximilian told them who he was but kept quiet on the rest. He didn't want to create a panic and had to go back to the castle as soon as possible. If the King had been kidnapped, maybe the ministers or Louis had received a letter with the conditions of the Scots. If they had not, he had to inform them anyway.

 

Harry woke up in a cell, on the floor. The room was pitch black and humid. Scary noise from rats probably and water drops falling against the walls and floor mixed with his heavy breathing. He tried to move and pain shot all over his body. His muscles were still sore and heavy. The poison had not completely dissipated from his blood. He let out a high pitched noise and his small move made his chains squeak.

"Harry, my king?" Ed's voice called in the dark.

"Ed!" Harry managed to groan in spite of the pain in his jaw.

"Yes! We are prisoners Harry. Michelle brought us here after she gave you the antidote. She burnt down the entire depot as well."

Harry's brain was rushing, plagued with the memories of the recent events. The depot, the poisoned dart, the gut wrenching pain and now, this humid cell.

"Do you know where we are?" Harry finally asked, his voice coming out broken and defeated.

"No my King. The bitch choked me and I passed out. Woke up here a bit before you. I figured you were with me when I heard you breathing and regaining consciousness at some point". Harry heard chains squeaking again and Ed apparently managed to come close to him. He pulled a bit on Harry's chains as well and could put the King's head on his knees. It wasn't romantic at all and hardly gentle but it soothed Harry. The human contact and the heat radiating from the spy's body seemed to make his blood run faster in his veins. The pain got weaker and his sleeping members felt less heavy and easier to move once again. They had no notion of the time at all and no idea of how long they had spent in the dungeon. But at some point they heard steps approaching and then the heavy door was opened.

Two guards entered, carrying torches. Harry sat up straight. However weak he was, there was no way he would face his mortal enemy, his head resting on his henchmen's lap. Lady Michelle followed the guards, and behind her, body and head covered by a bright green mantle, was princess Cara. Her long blond hair escaped of her hood and fell down on the small swell of her breast. Her immense light eyes shone with a victorious glow, only reinforced by the small frown of her impressive eyebrows. She certainly was stunning and looked like the princess of old granny tales with her perfect white skin and frail figure. But unlike these fairy tales princesses, she was far from innocent her all demeanour dripping with pride, aggression, ambition. With only one glimpse, you could see she was more dangerous than the most venomous snakes.

"King Harry, I am so pleased to finally meet you face to face". Her voice was surprisingly sweet and cheerful, nearly childish and it reminded Harry just how young this princess was. Probably 17 maybe 18. He didn't reply and waited for her to go on. "Now that you joined us, maybe we can talk. You know, about politics. About kingdoms. About my cherished land of Scotland."

Harry snorted. "Your cherished land of Scotland is part of my kingdom. Your allies all capitulated and bent down in front of me."

"Yet, you are still here!" Cara continued, watching him with cold eyes. "And if you want to have a small chance to get out from here alive, you'll give me what I want". She took a step towards the King and took her hood off, showing the small tiara covering her blond locks. Harry snorted again. In spite of his weakness and his quite dramatic situation, he was still the king and Cara was still the ultimate vermin. He wanted to wring her neck with his own hands. He wanted to feel her pulse die under his palms.

"You are not a Queen Cara and never will be. Whatever you do to me, that will never change" he sent her a small wicked smile and the princess's face fell. She tugged at the chains tied to Harry's wrists and pulled him up, their faces nearly colliding.

"That is what we will see your Highness" she spat in the most disdainful tone before closing the space between them and kissing his lips. The king opened his mouth in surprise and she quickly bite his tongue in between her teeth and pulled. Harry moaned from the pain. She pushed him down harshly on the floor, letting go of his chains. They glared at each other and finally she turned back and nodded to the guards who put down plates of food and a carafe of water on the floor. They all left the door and Ed and Harry were left alone in the dark again. The food attracted rats that passed under the door and approached their plates. In spite of not seeing anything, Ed managed to catch on of the rats and fed it with some bites of the food but chased the other ones. After a moment and when he saw the rat wasn't behaving weird, he killed it and threw it away to distract the other rats and have them eat it.

"You go my prince you have to eat, the food isn't poisoned." Harry grunted and didn't move.

"Am not hungry" he just said.

"You have to eat. We don't know what they are going to do with us and how long before they will give us anything else to eat. We have to eat. You especially have to regain strengths." He pushed one of the plates towards Harry and the king finally forced himself to have a few bites. He didn't admit it but he felt even better after he finished. His body was normally responding now and he didn't feel as weak. He probably could stand without any problem if he wasn't chained. Whereas the cell was colder and humid, he actually felt pretty warm now. Maybe a bit too hot actually... He took a deep breath and felt his heartbeat racing. His abs were contracting now and he felt this ache that he knew well too much building fast.

"Fucking hell, Ed. No... not now" he whined and his voice was low and raspy and full want.

"Oh fuck" Ed answered. Harry's rut was coming and there was nothing they could do.

 

Louis woke up in their big bed alone. It was six in the morning and the light light outside was piercing through the curtains. But that wasn't what woke him up. He felt awkwardly reckless. He put his palms on his big belly but the baby wasn't kicking or wriggling. He didn't really feel any pain either. That was something else. Like a nagging ache. Not something really strong or painful. But something that Louis could still feel. It wasn't desperate like when he had been in heat and thought he would die if he wasn't fucked. It wasn't really like the ache he felt each time he wasn't with Harry and missed him. There was that of course, but there was something else. He felt discomfort around his bum and felt he was wet there. His heart stopped for a second and he jumped out of bed. God, was he having a miscarriage. Was he loosing blood. Or was it early labour and he was loosing his waters? He shuffled to the bathroom and watched himself in the big mirror. It wasn't blood. It was slick. He was leaking! He didn't understand. He was pregnant so couldn't be in heat. Also Harry wasn't here and he didn't recall of any exciting dream that could have had him wake up in this state. But the ache was growing and growing. He also became more agitated, he felt restless and like... a bit desperate but he wasn't sure what about.

Realisation hit him suddenly. Harry was in rut. He could feel the desperation and the growing physical pain his husband experienced. And his body responded and was yearning to satisfy him and help him to go through his heat. He could feel that Harry's craving grew more and more frantic, that his alpha was losing mind, wherever he was. Louis rushed to the bedside table and rang the bell to call for Louise. His maid came quickly. She frowned when she saw the small prince agitated and wriggling like he was in pain next to his bed.

"My prince? What is it, the baby?" she rushed and put hers hands on Louis' shoulder and on his belly.

"Noooo!" Louis whined. "It is... where is Harry? I need... I think he is in rut. I need to go with him, he needs me"

"He still didn't come back" the maid said and tried to calm Louis down by petting his sides. "If he is in rut, he will probably come back soon, Louis. You should try to go back to bed and relax and try to rest a bit more" the young woman said trying to put him back to bed.

"No! He... he needs me right now! I can feel it Louise!" he said, bordering panic now. "You don't think?... You don't think he would go see someone else for his rut?" he asked in a small voice.

Louise hugged him. "Shhh calm down my Prince. No I am sure he wouldn't. He will be back soon."

But Louis couldn't just go back to sleep when he could feel the distress of his alpha and imagine his pain. "No I am going to... I need to go to the reception salon, so I know as soon as he comes back" the prince said hurriedly. He looked a bit feverish and Louise was scared the excitation and the stress could harm him or the baby. They went to the salon and met surprised servants on the way, wondering why their pregnant prince was up so early and looked so worried. Louise forced Louis to have a small breakfast and the warm food comforted him a little. There was unusual agitation in the castle though and whispered of a fire in town, in the dock region reached them. This tensed the small prince more. He had no idea where Harry had gone the night before but a fire was never a good news. Louis hoped with all his heart that was just a coincidence and that his alpha was safe. Surely if he could feel his rut, it meant Harry was ok somewhere. At around 8, the prince and his maid saw servants rushing to the entry and, even more worrying, Lord Cowell and a few ministers arrived as well. Most of them looked like they had just been awoken and came as fast as they could.

They pressed themselves as well and were faced with Count Maximilian. He looked terrible, even paler than usual, his face and garments stained with dirt and dry blood. Louis got dizzy, some black spots clouding his vision.

"What happened?" he whimpered and he felt Louise's grasp on his arm, to make sure he didn't fall down.

"We got attacked" Maximilian said in a husky voice.

"Where is Harry?" Louis asked, his voice breaking, tears clouded his vision now as well as the black spots that grew bigger and bigger. Louis didn't really hear Maximilian's answer, he fainted before.

The prince woke up in his bed, Louise and Liam were at his side. The French ambassador looked particularly worried. Louis tried to straighten up but he felt the ache again, the same than the one in the morning. He could tell Harry was really getting desperate now and that he hurt so much. He whimpered a bit as Louise jumped to grab his hand.

"Louis! My prince are you hurting?" she asked panicked. "You scared us so much, you passed out thirty minutes ago"

"I am... I am good" Louis whimpered again, and put his hands protectively on his huge belly. Paradoxically now, feeling the distress of his alpha reassured Louis by letting him know he was alive somewhere.

"Harry and his men were attacked at the docks, Louis" Liam said with a soft voice "Maximilian and two other guards survived because they were outside the depot they were searching. Harry and Ed disappeared and we are nearly sure they were abducted. The rest of the guards died in the fire". Louis nodded, what else could he do?

Liam, came closer and sat on the bed next to Louise. "My prince, the reason I am telling you all this now is that the Kingdom is headless. With Harry prisoner, we have no king right now. You are the second in line. Theoretically, as the husband of the King, you are in command. If Queen was here, she could help you but she is not here as you know. You are the King of England for now Louis."

"What... what am I supposed to do?" Louis whined. He felt the tears close again and hated himself for being such a weak and stupid omega.

"Hey!" Liam touched his shoulder and squeezed gently "You are going to be alright. I will be always at your side, Zayn Malik as well... And we will find the King and he will come back" he added after a second of hesitation.

"But, Liam... I am an omega and I am pregnant and I am not even English" Louis breathed out. "People always alienated me at Court without Harry. And the ministers, they still... they still think I am a foreigner and a stupid omega. They will never follow my leadership. They will never listen to me... and they would be right because I have no idea of what to do" he got more and more panicked as he was speaking, his breathing was heavy and difficult. He gasped when he felt the baby kicking hard against his stomach.

Louise reached Louis again and pushed him back against the pillows gently. "My prince you have to calm down" she said in a stern voice "It is not good for you or for the baby".

The rest of the day went excruciatingly slow. Louis stayed in bed in state oscillating between fear, pain, ache, anger, despair and Liam and Zayn came nearly every hour to tell him what was going on at the minister's council. Lord Cowell had ordered for a regional search of the King by the army. Each house in London and its surroundings was to be searched. The ministers also received numerous ambassadors from abroad coming to renew their friendship to the kingdom and wish luck for the researches. A public announcement to the people was made as well. But as the day went on, news from the council room got more worrying. Apparently a few of the most ambitious ministers talked about succession already. Of course not face to face. But if the situation stayed the same and the King remained nowhere to be found, it was clear a few of the noble families couldn't wait to battle for the throne. This made Louis even more restless. Without Harry not only his title but his security was compromised. And that of his child even more. If there was to be a succession war, the omega and heir of the previous king certainly would be persecuted and at least imprisoned, probably killed.

But Louis couldn't even think about that. The idea of Harry dying and never coming back was so foreign, so unbelievable for Louis that he couldn't comprehend it fully. He spent a nearly sleepless night, just turning and turning again. The ache in his guts had not stop and he could feel his body on the verve of horny. The baby was kicking as well, very aware of the wary and distress of the small omega. He finally fell asleep, or more like passed out with exhaustion, in the early morning to be awaken by a worried looking Liam.

"Louis! My prince!"

"What?!" He grunted. He was still disoriented and not sure where he was and why his ambassador was shaking him like that.

"Louis you have to wake up and get ready. The council is gathering again and you have to make an appearance."

The prince felt the gravity crushing him.

"I...? But what am I going to say?" Louis asked in a husky voice. "I am not a leader Liam... I have no idea of what to say at council. And my husband is missing... and I am so scared" he began to cry of course, cursing himself for his inability to do anything right.

"Shhh. You are going to do great" the ambassador said. They locked eyes and Louis could read honesty and indulgence in them. Liam genuinely seemed to think Louis wasn't a complete waste. The prince calmed down a little. "You will just have to make an appearance and recall them that Harry is still their King until he is proven dead" Louis whimpered and Liam said softly "which won't happen. I will be with you all the time and I will speak about the letter I received this morning from your father the King of France. He very clearly states his entire support for Harry's government and family. He also says that if anything regrettable happened to you or your baby, France wouldn't hesitate to review its previous alliance with England. He couldn't be more bold without declaring war Louis. Your father is backing you up a 100%. This will make the ministers who drool over the crown to reconsider twice before doing something stupid. The kingdom certainly doesn't want to face France and it’s allies in a war."

Louis was in an ample tunic, waiting to be introduced to enter the council. Liam had left him a few minutes ago to go in the room first. Louis could feel his heart race and tried to take deep breaths to calm himself. He tried to recall the calm but still bossy way his mother led the court in Prussia, when it was nearly as headless as it was here. He tried to think about his father, who was putting all his political power to back up his position and make sure he was safe in these difficult times. He thought about his brother, who emanated confidence and power, about Eleanor, who under her charms and gentle demeanour was a fantastic sovereign. He was from the same blood. He could do that. He thought of Harry. His wonderful, ruthless Harry, who could make people bent over his will with a simple glare.

He was still shaking and struggled to breathe when he felt a presence at his side. He turned around and gasped when he saw Kendalla. The princess looked as beautiful and smug as ever. But for the first time she was staring directly at Louis. That was a first. She had never addressed him or properly watched him. Hell, she never acknowledged his existence before. But there she was, eyeing him up and down with her bitchy expression, a small confident smile on her lips. And she spoke.

"You are the consort prince right?" Her voice was dismissive, mocking. "You are married to the King". He could only nod, bewildered.

She shrugged in the most condescending way. She was watching him like he was a disgusting vermin. Maybe a bug or some kind of twitch grass. "Then show them that you are the ruler here. Stop hiding like a crybaby and behave as such!" She turned around in a rustle of skirts and left with the panache of the princess she was. Louis was left stunned. He couldn't believe it. In her very own bitchy, pretentious way, Kendalla had encouraged him. She was supporting him.

And she was right. A thousand percent right. He was England's ruler and he had to act as such in Harry's absence. He couldn't let his authority crumble, he couldn't let the kingdom down. Like everything she did, of course, there was a purpose, a gain for herself. Louis knew had not officially signed the title of English nobility for her husband yet. They were still very much Russian and very much disgraced. They needed Harry to come back safe and sound to therefore assure their future. But whatever reasons were her own, that was the slap in the face Louis needed. Given by the person he would least expect it from. Hell, he thought God himself would come down and talk to him before Kendalla did. When he heard his name called, he entered the council room with new-found confidence. He could do that.

Louis' speech to the minister was memorable. He spoke like a true leader, voice strong and sure. He left no space to any doubt that could crumple his own confidence or the one of his audience. He made everyone recall that Harry was still their King, that he wasn't dead yet but held prisoner. He said that as the consort prince and pregnant with the heir of the Kingdom, he claimed full authority in the name of Harry and until his return. He was the government and war leader. When Liam looked as though he was going to speak, Louis stopped him and told himself about his father's support and his not-so-hidden threat to England if anything happened to Louis. At the end of his speech, there was a stunned silence for seconds before Simon Cowell began to clap. Others ministers followed and then the room was a chaos of cheers for the small prince. People were standing, clapping and shouting Louis' name.

It was like Louis crashed back on Earth after he had been flying. He felt the blood rushing in his veins and black spots clouding his vision, like the previous morning when he passed out. He nodded once to the crowd, stepped down of the podium and left the room with dignity. There was no way he would faint in front of the whole ministry. He could feel Liam following him and that was a blessing, since as soon as the door was closed behind their backs, his entire strengths left him, he could see only black and he lost consciousness.

Liam saw Louis fall in front of him and rushed to grab him before he hit the ground. He picked him up and hurried to the royal quarters.

"Louise! Louise!" the ambassador screamed. The maid rushed inside to see the man put Louis down on his bed carefully. "Go find the doctor, and bring salts!" He stayed close to the prince and pushed his now sweaty hair out of his face. He tried to tap his cheeks gently to make him wake up but the prince was still in his arms. Liam had seen it coming. Already at the end of the speech, Louis was paler and look more tired. The ministers had not noticed, enthralled with his fantastic address. When the room outburst in cheers, Liam could see that Louis' strengths, only maintained by his will and the adrenaline rush during the speech, were leaving him quickly. That's why he followed him closely when he left. Louise came back with the Royal doctor. They made Louis smell some salts and the small prince came back to them. He was really weak though and whimpering nonsenses.

"Harry" he whispered "I can feel him he needs me".

The doctor made Liam leave and the ambassador met Lord Cowell who was apparently waiting at the door of Louis's apartments. He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want the minister know the prince was unwell, especially not now that he had convinced them of his authority in the most stunning manner. Lord Cowell didn't let him the time to think too much though

"I wanted to make sure he was alright" the man said calmly. "And I wanted to assure you of my support and of the support of the other ministers. The prince did a hell of a good job to convince us I would say. And I will take care of the ones that still let their minds wander to the throne" he added with a small sharp smile.

Liam nodded, relieved. Simon Cowell was the man with the most influence in the ministry. If he supported Louis, the others would follow him.

"He is a feisty little thing, this prince" Cowell added, now appraisingly "takes some serious balls to make the entire house of ministers fall for you, especially in his... delicate state" he added and his face distorted a slightly bit. Liam wasn't sure if Cowell was talking about the fact Louis was heavily pregnant, or the fact his alpha was missing and in danger of death or the fact he had to face a government of hostile alphas when he was a thirteen-year-old omega. He decided he talked about all of them.

"Thank you for your visit my Lord" Liam replied "Yes, the prince is well, just a bit tired because he had to stand for the speech. I am sure he and the King at his return will appreciate your support."

Lord Cowell watched him a bit amused, there was no doubt he knew it was utter bullshit, but he bowed and left without saying more.

Harry was covered in sweat and writhing in pain on the floor of the cell they were in. For the past two days, he was in rut and in absolute agony. His brain was filled with only one obsession: he was going to find Louis and fuck him until they both couldn't move. He managed to thrust against the dirty wet floor or to jerk off sloppily in spite of his chains. But since he couldn't fuck his omega, his erection had not gone down for those two days. His groin area was so painful that he couldn't know if it was still there or if someone had snatched it from his body sometimes. The fact that Ed was in the same room and witness to his agony didn't do anything to help him calm down. Yes, the spy probably had seen it all in his lifetime, but that was still kind of embarrassing to be in rut and tied down with no way to escape, while sharing a cell with someone. Finally, he seemed to be able to breathe a bit better and atrocious pain seemed to fade down a bit. After a few hours, his dick finally stopped hurting so much. He jerked off quickly to take off the edge. And he sighted nearly happily when he witnessed it going down after he shot his load.

"Fuck, the rut is fading" Harry whispered both to himself and Ed. "It is nearly finished" his voice was completely fucked, his body spent, after having been contracted non-stop for two days his muscles ached all over. Finally, his dick went completely soft and Harry dozed off. He was awoken by a hard tug on his chains. Two guards made Ed and Harry get up and follow them out of the cell. Now that they were in corridors with more lights, Harry could see the front of his outfit was covered with dried come. He grunted, thinking about Cara's satisfied smirk when she would see that.

For the first time since they arrived there, they could take their surroundings in view. They were lead out of the dungeons and passed a few rooms richly furnished. They were in a castle, no doubt about that. But where? Surely they weren't in London. They were lead to the main reception room. Cara was sat on a red throne. Michelle was at her side, sword at her waist. a few other men, some of them that Harry could recognise as Scottish nobles and some of them probably just stray soldiers were standing close, glaring at the King and smiling wickedly at his appearance.

"Here is our guest" Cara said in a cheerful voice. "Sorry, we wanted to honour you before but we had to wait until your...indisposition had passed". A few of the men snorted. Harry's eyes were drought to left of the room and he saw him, Stan Lucas, among Cara's supporters. From the brief stare Ed gave, he knew the spy had spotted him as well. Harry stared at the man again. He was smirking like the rest of them and Harry wanted to kill him, make him feel the wrath of the King when he was betrayed. But Lucas locked eyes with him and blinked once. He kept his eyes closed just a tad too long and Harry understood that was directed to him, like an assent he was still on their sides.

"What are you going to do with us?" Harry finally said, his voice strong and clear, he turned to face Cara dead on.

"You will give me command of Scotland" Cara said, like she was completely bored already. "You will give me money and an army and I will be crowned Queen of independent Scotland" she added. “And then maybe, I will let you go.” Harry snorted. "You may look like a fairytale princess my Lady, but we aren't in one. Your requests are ridiculous."

"You are not in any position of negotiate" Cara said, pouting and inspecting her nails. She was still wearing the same green outfit from two days ago and Harry wondered if she had only this one. And these few men that were in the room, were they the only allies she had left? A dozen of men.

"Never," he simply said. And he saw the princess freeze and get up in fury.

"Then you will fucking die!" she shouted "I will kill you and your precious kingdom will crumble! Do you think your sweet little omega will remain in power? Your people will tear him apart and they will tear your land apart in a succession war and I will have my kingdom anyways, because I am the rightful Queen of Scotland!"

Harry jumped at the mention of Louis. This bitch had no right to talk about him like that. His heart clenched as well at the scenario she painted. He would never let that happen to his Louis.

"Cara, you are playing at the Queen in the middle of nowhere with a handful of supporters who are only old fools", he looked around and glared at the men he vaguely recognised. "If you let me go, I will be magnanimous with you".

She laughed like she was possessed.

"You fucking arrogant prick. I have your life and death in the palm of my hand and you still pretend you are in control. We will see who the fool is when you are swinging at the end of a rope.”

"Why did you kill Marcus?" Ed suddenly asked and a few people gasped. But Cara didn't seem too pissed.

"Didn't kill him. Danielle did, my spy at your castle. She killed him when she escaped, probably didn't want anyone to know where she was going"

"Where is she now?" Harry grunted.

Cara shrugged. "I don't know. I don't care. Dead, hiding, fucking building herself a new life, she isn't useful to me anymore."

"How did you know we were at the depot?" Ed asked again. This time Cara smirked. She was obviously proud of herself. "We knew you would come there at one moment or another. I had the place watched all the time by street boys. Little rats ready to snitch their mothers and fathers for crumbs."

She sat back on her throne and inspected her nails again before letting out,  "Perfect, if you don't want to give me what's mine, I will take it. And I will offer the great people of London the show they deserve. The death of their beloved King!" She smiled at Harry and then motioned to the guards to take the King back out of her sight.

When back in the dungeon, Ed was laconic. "So we put everything on Lucas' shoulders? We trust him with our lives, that is quite a gamble". That wasn't a question, not a reproach either. Just a statement.

"Yeah, let's see if he can earn his titles" Harry just grunted back.

Once again, Louis was shaken awake. He opened his eyes and tried to focus. This time, Liam was there, but Maximilian and another man were also standing at his bedside. Louis fisted his sheets and pulled on them to make sure they covered his entire body. So many men in his room in what, probably was the middle of the night, made him nervous.

"My prince" the man Louis didn't know said "I came here to give you news about the King. He is prisoner to Princess Cara in my family's castle in Edgware just outside of London."

When he saw the look of total confusion on Louis' face, Maximilian stepped in. This man is your husband's spy my Prince. He was spying for us amongst Cara's followers. And when they came back on your land, Lord Lucas had them stay in his castle. Harry is prisoner there right now and under the cover of the night, the lord came to warn us."

Louis nodded. "We... we should attack?" his voice sounded even weaker and unsure that what he felt.

"Yes you will have to." Lord Lucas said "They are planning on killing the king the day after tomorrow. But they also want to make it a show. They will bring him back in London to have his execution public and probably try to cause as much damage as possible. They want to create civil war so that Cara can have the Scottish crown in the confusion."

"So we have to attack them before they leave the castle. Tomorrow", Maximilian cut them short. "We can't allow ourselves to wait more, if something goes wrong, the king is dead as is probably a big part of the London crowd".

All the men nodded and Louis stayed there frozen.

Liam spoke "Louis this is not it. Your brother is en route to London as we speak. The Danes and Prussia signed peace this morning. As soon as he could, your brother left to come and be at your side. I just got the information".

"With your brother's army and the English one under your command, you will order the attack of the castle Louis" Liam went on. "A secret attack. Lord Lucas tells us that Cara only has a few supporters. We should be able to crush them. Besides, it is his family's castle. He can lead your men directly to the King and have him saved."

Louis nodded again, this time more excited and hopeful. This plan sounded good, all odds were on their sides, they were going to save Harry and vanquish Cara once and for all.

The next day, Henri and a contingent of his best men arrived in London. Of course they kept a low profile. This was a secret mission after all. Louis wanted to tell the council face to face about his order to attack the castle where Harry was detained. But his condition didn't enable him to leave the bed. Thus he wrote the order and signed with Harry's seal instead. His wary for Harry and the attack had all his attention and made him completely oblivious to his own health, or lack of health. Louise and the doctor were worried. He was agitated and seemed to suffer from pain in his belly, even though he refused to complain about himself at all. They had to force him to stay in bed and not shuffle to the window to see the troops leaving.

Harry and Ed were still chained in their cells. Since their encounter upstairs with Cara, they had not seen anyone. They heard a loud bang on the heavy door of their dungeon. The king tensed up and let out a high victorious gasp when he saw Henri's face in the door frame.

"Brother!" he called excitedly. The French prince entered completely and rushed to the prisoners. A few soldiers followed him. They were holding large shears and worked on their restrains fast. The attack on Lord Lucas's family castle was quick. The mole had given them all the informations they needed and Cara and her entourage saw nothing coming. Finally, after all this time, Harry had the princess kneel in front of him, vanquished. Some of Cara's men had tried to resist and were killed without mercy. They took the Princess and her Lady alive though. Harry wanted to trial Cara in public and have her execution as a the apotheosis of the celebrations for the end of the war. They marched back to the royal castle victoriously but were met on the way by one of the official messengers. Liam was summoning the King to come back as soon as possible. Louis was in labour.

Harry felt his heart drop and his blood pulse in his ears when he browsed the document from the messenger. He didn't say anything and just rode, following behind the man as fast as they could. Ed was on his heels of course.

"Come on Louis, my prince!" Louise encouraged the omega "Come on, next contraction you have to push". The midwife and the royal doctor were kneeling between Louis' parted legs while the maid wipe off the prince's sweaty face. He felt another contraction and screamed. It was like the baby wanted to rip out his insides and drag them out with him. He tried to push but gave in after a few seconds. It was too painful and exhausting. He sobbed loudly, a bit relieved that the contraction had passed but dreading the next one.

"Why does he come now?” he whined in between sobs. "This is too early, I am not ready and Harry is not here and he is going to be too small, it is too early"

"Shhhhh" Louise whispered petting his forehead with a fresh cloth. "Come on Louis breath don't exhaust yourself. And next contraction you have to push, the baby wants out now".

They heard the door of the room slam open and the weak protests of maids that were outside "No, my King he is in labour, you shouldn't enter". He pushed them back bluntly and rushed to the bedside. In spite of the pain that wrecked his body, Louis smiled bright at Harry. The alpha all but fell on the bed next to his omega. He kissed lightly all over his face and hungrily licked their bond mark. This relaxed Louis as much as it could in this situation.

"Hazza, you’re here" he breathed out.

"Yes, love" the alpha said, still kissing Louis' face and crushing his hands in his palms. "I am here and you are going to have our baby and everything is going to be perfect".

Louis felt new sobs building in his throat. "No.... but it is too early! Our baby is going to be too small" he kept repeating.

"Never too small. He is going to be just like you. He can't wait to see us Lou". He was interrupted by Louis tensing up and screaming for his dear life under the effect of a violent contraction.

Harry backed up a bit, startled.

"Push Louis come on!" the midwife and Louise encouraged at the same time. "Yes that is good, come on, keep pushing" they praised.

Harry shouted to them in panic "Is he alright? What... ? Do something!" Like any alpha of the court, Harry was quite uneducated about childbirth and things as such. He knew it hurt but kind of assumed omegas and ladies being such tender creatures, they exaggerated the pain. The thing was never really discussed as well and most husbands didn't assist in the delivery. So really most alphas assumed it was an unpleasant step of the pregnancy but not much else. The picture he had in front of him was a bit different. He could see Louis sweaty, exhausted, crying and panting heavily while his body was shaken with spasms. But the contractions were the worst, they seemed to be bigger and closer as time went by and every time left Louis more wrecked. Seeing his cherished husband hurting so much with nothing he could really do was an absolute nightmare for his alpha self. Harry let the omega crush his hands, hoping it helped to take away some of the pain he felt. He held one of Louis' thigh up, to give him a bit of relief and help the doctors.

"Come on Lou. I am so proud of you, I love you so much" Harry praised.

"I see the head" the midwife grunted. "Come on my prince, the next contraction you will have to push very hard"

Harry casted a glance and saw the head poking out. He braced himself and went back to give all of his attention to Louis.

"You're nearly there, love" he bent down to peck the omega on the lips. At the next contraction, Louis screamed even louder and pushed with everything he had.

The room filled up with screams, but this time, it wasn't Louis'. The midwife was holding a very small and very dirty shouting baby. Louis' head fell down against the pillow and Harry's mouth was against his temple, whispering sweet praises. They didn't pay attention while the doctor was doing his doctor things, like cutting the cord. But Louis got a new contraction, they all panicked.

"What is going on?" Harry shouted at the doctor. The man slowly shook his head and then palmed Louis' stomach, making him whine under the pressure.

"My king, I think there is a surprise. A second baby"

Harry froze for an instant "how... how is it possible?" he whined.

"His mother had twins as well" Louise said, shoving new fresh clothes in Harry's hand and motioning him to go back taking care of Louis.

After what felt like years of labour, and absolute torture, Harry and Louis were left alone in the room with their twin daughters. Louis was exhausted and fell asleep nearly instantly, leaving the King with his two new darlings. The doctor assured the childbirth had gone very well, without complications in spite of the twins being premature. He concluded in his report that the early delivery was due to the very stress state in which Louis was, probably the travel at the beginning of his pregnancy and also his small frame, that probably couldn't handle the pregnancy anymore. Harry didn't care, as long as Louis was healthy. The infants, while very small, were fully developed and very lively and there was no reason to think they would suffer any complication from their early birth. They were named Lux and Darcy, and around twenty other names that were those of all their female relatives. When Louis asked shyly if Harry was disappointed they weren't boys, the King felt his heart swell and assured him he wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Cara was imprisoned in the royal dungeons. She was sat on the floor of her cell, hunched back on herself. She knew what was coming. Her trial for treason, murder, attack on their Highnesses, and terrorism against the Kingdom was to be held the next day. She didn't even care if she had to die anymore. She was utterly defeated. She didn't even flinch when the door opened, didn't even watch who it was. But when the person closed the door and seemed to stay there, in front of her without moving, she had to raise her head. Henri, the prince of France was standing over her and staring. She stared back.

"What do you want?" she asked with all the venom she could still manage.

"I came to make a proposition to you" he said pointedly. "I will ask Harry to spare you, and I will ask him for your hand".

Cara's eyes grew comically. "For my hand? Are you... are you deranged?' she spat. "I will never, NEVER marry you. I will rather die by your piece of shit brother's hand than marry into your family"

She wanted to provoke him, have him get mad, maybe slap her. He didn't move, didn't even seem annoyed.

"That would be unwise, wouldn't it?" he shrugged. "What will you do for Scotland when you are dead? You will be as useless as any other dead peasant. If you marry me, you will be Queen of France. You might still have some influence in Scotland. You would have my ear, I have my brother's and Louis has Harry's ear. Think about it Cara, you always wanted power, influence. I give you that on a silver platter. You could be Queen of one of the most powerful country."

"Why would you want that?" the venom was still there but a bit softer. "I tried to kill your brother, we fought against each other. We are enemies. Why would you want to marry me?"

He shrugged again. "Because I have admiration for you. I respect you. Hell, you nearly had the King killed and England crumble when you had only ten soldiers under your orders. I am not interested in gentle, innocent, and dull virgins. I want a Queen that can be my match." He got closer and grabbed a strand of her long hair before caressing it. "Besides, I can't say I wouldn't like to have a Queen that looks like you", he added a little smug.

She pushed him away harshly.

"I will never be yours" she roared "I am devoted to someone already! You will never have me"

He snorted. "Yes, yes your personal Amazon is it? This lady Michelle?" Cara didn't reply but her silence was the answer. Henri shrugged again. "I don't care about that, Princess. You can have her, you can have all the lovers you want, I am not prudish myself". He smiled confidently. "I don't ask you to be faithful or even to love me. I just want an heir and an ally. Someone that I can trust and respect."

Louis tried to wriggle on the bed to get Harry closer. The alpha was furious, rambling to himself. Louis knew it was because of Henri's request. Louis let out a deep exaggerated sigh and smiled to himself when finally the King turned his face to him, eyebrows frowned.

"Are you alright love? Did you... did you feel any pain?"

Louis sighed again, softer this time. He sloppily climbed on Harry and pinned him to the bed. In reality, he wasn't pinning him at all, both of them knew that Harry could flip them over or throw Louis away like he was a rag or something. Louis sat on Harry's abs and leaned down to capture Harry's lips in his. He kissed him sweetly and then Harry pushed his hands off the bed and circled Louis' waist with his arms, pulling him closer to him. Harry's sighed against in lips and the omega could feel his cock hardening in his back. They had not done anything since the birth and Louis was still quite weak, with his insides still very raw. So there was no chance they would fuck. But he knew Harry was dying for any touch and if he was honest, he was as well.

"You know, Henri is right. You should grant his wish about Cara", Louis whispered into Harry's mouth. The alpha stopped and pushed him a bit to eye him carefully.

"I go for a few days and I have a ruthless politician when I return?" he teased. He wasn't angry though, he seemed amused but also... proud. Yes, proud.

He stroked Louis' back and sides up and down. He was pensive now.

"I can't do that Louis. She is and always will remain an enemy. Christ, she tried to kill you, to kill all of us! How could I... let her go?"

He gently rubbed his thumb against Louis' hard and swollen nipples. The omega's body was mostly back to its small figure but his belly was still chubby, swollen with pregnancy fat. And chest was sporting tiny breasts, full of milk for their two babies. This had Louis' nipples always sore and red and looking delicious. Louis gasped at the contact and Harry went further, caressing the small breasts, massaging around them and then rolling the bud of the nipples in between his fingers. Louis was letting out small whimpers and closed his eyes, head tilted back. This gave more access to Harry and he pushed his head up and captured one nipple in his mouth, while he kept gently caressing the other one.

"Harry!" Louis moaned "Stop that, it is gonna... it is going to leak" he finally managed to say.

Harry grunted and sucked harder on the nipple, rolling his tongue all around and nibbling a bit with his teeth. Louis' noises were music to his ears and the sensation of having his gorgeous omega on top of him, shivering in pleasure to his mouth was intoxicating. When Harry felt the warm liquid fill his mouth, he swallowed in wonder and groaned again. The taste recalled him of Louis' slick. It was so tasty, sweet and comforting. So Louis. He hungrily sucked harsher on the nipple to drink more of Louis' milk. He also realised the other nipple had began to leak as well so he changed and went to grab the second one greedily. Louis was still whimpering but had began to thrust against Harry. His small hard cock was rubbing against Harry's abs, leaving a wet track there. Harry kept sucking at his nipples, hands full of his breast, pinching, massaging, caressing and Louis was getting more and more vocal, rutting harder against his stomach. Finally Harry took his mouth off him and went back to his lips to kiss him voraciously. Louis came at the same moment he could taste himself in Harry's mouth. He fell back all lax on Harry's body and the alpha petted his sides.

"If you have her killed, Scots will never accept English domination fully. They will see that as another affront." Louis finally whispered against Harry's chest. The king grunted and held him tighter.

 

They were in the reception ballroom. The whole court was present to celebrate the end of the war and the presentation of Lux and Darcy. Harry had officially pardoned Cara and given their titles to Lord Lucas and Count Isnikov. The twins had been baptised and everyone had fussed about how cute they looked and how they resembled Louis or Harry. The King though they were a perfect combination of them. They already had a lot of hair that promised to be as curly as Harry’s They had Louis' face but his dimples and to please both of them, Darcy had blue icy eyes and Lux had green ones.

Harry stood up to propose a toast. He eyed Louis who looked so lovely in his light blue tunic. The outfit didn't completely hide the small swell of his belly and he looked so beautiful that Harry had to concentrate on taking a new breath.

'My dear Lords, with the end of this war and the victory of our Holy kingdom, let us drink to heroism!" He looked Louis dead in the eye and sent him a dazzling smile. The one with his dimples full on display and his eyes soft and loving. The one he reserved to him really.

“A Hero is not blessed with magical powers, is not invincible or indestructible. A hero is no stranger to weaknesses and fears.”

“A hero is someone that fights for righteousness, for peace and for love. In spite of all adversities. Being a hero is never giving up, even in the saddest or sombres hours of History. He may sometimes fall but will always get up and rise. And shine like the brightest of our stars.”

He could see Louis' eyes sparkle and it was like they were alone in the room.

“And I know no other hero that shines as bright as Louis of England. To Louis! My husband. My King. My hero”.

"To Louis!" the court repeated and they all raised their glasses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end for this fic :) I want to thank everyone for the fantastic support it received!
> 
> Please check this [great artwork](http://akisdoodles.tumblr.com/post/86350795720/and-i-know-no-other-hero-that-shines-as-bright-as) by [Aki Anyway](http://aki-anyway.tumblr.com). I am so happy and so proud that the fic inspired a great drawer :) so thanks Erika!
> 
> I will do a sequel to this in the future because I love this story and the reaction to it was truly heart-warming. However for now, I take a break from chaptered fics. (also I was kinda shit at updating in the end)
> 
> If you'd like, you can check the story I posted recently. It is very different from this, but I quite like it as well, so give it a shot :)  
> [For you know I love you with all my soul](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1552802%20)
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you very much to all and see you soon! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


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